Senate leader, Ali Ndume has urged the Federal government to make good its pledge of rehabilitating the just released Chibok girls insisting that the girls need special attention.
Advertisement
Twenty one Chibok girls have been released on Thursday by the insurgent group Boko Haram, the presidency said.
“This is a major challenge for government; we have to provide face infrastructure especially for education and health, take them back to their villages and towns and reintegrate them so that they can have normal life, ” he said. Fifty-seven managed to escape in the immediate aftermath of the abduction, but almost 200 other girls are still missing.
As many as 57 girls escaped nearly immediately in 2014, and one was found this spring.
For Chief Joe Ifediobi of the (PDP), the present government should be appreciated even though, they were being released in bits.
Information minister Mohammed denied that the 21 girls were exchanged for Boko Haram prisoners, saying “this is not a swap”.
The group claimed responsibility for the kidnappings and has been in contact with the Nigerian government and has appeared in video messages about the kidnappings.
Vice President Yemi Osinbajo and his wife visited the girls at a security hospital in Abuja where they have been recuperating.
Since 2015, the Nigerian military collaborating with other African countries has recaptured a sizable amount of Boko Haram’s territory, which was once equivalent to the size of Belgium, The Independent reports. This is believed to be the largest group released by Boko Haram since the girls were initially captured.
The statement read, “The Secretary-General urges the global community to continue supporting the government of Nigeria in its efforts to secure their release, rehabilitation and reintegration. We are optimistic we will retrieve more of the Chibok girls from Boko Haram very soon, in the coming weeks”, defence ministry spokesman Gen Rabe Abubakar said.
Advertisement
The release marks a diplomatic breakthrough for Nigerian President Muhammadu Buhari, who has struggled to contain extremist threats and address a worsening humanitarian crisis in Africa’s most populated country. However, he also admitted that they encountered difficulties in negotiating with Boko Haram amid the leadership struggle among the militants. The crisis, which started in 2009, has predominantly affected north-eastern States of Borno, Yobe and Adamawa, with about 30,000 people dead, 1.8 million people internally displaced and 7,000 women and girls kidnapped.
