Governor Babagana Zulum of Borno State is optimistic that the abducted Chibok schoolgirls will be rescued, seven years after they were kidnapped by the terror group, Boko Haram.
The terrorists had on 14 April 2014, captured 276 girls aged between 12 and 17 from the Government Girls Secondary School in Chibok, Borno State. Even though a good number of the students have been rescued, about 100 of them are still in captivity.
“As a father of all sons and daughters of Borno, I haven’t lost hope that our remaining Chibok schoolgirls and other abducted persons will be safely recovered,” the governor said, reigniting hopes that the students still in the kidnappers’ den will reunite with their parents.
While critics have lashed out at the Federal Government over its inability to rescue the schoolgirls, Governor Zulum says President Muhammadu Buhari is concerned as the parents of the Chibok girls about the development.
“Countless times, the President has shown me that he is not losing hope on the Chibok girls,” Zulum said about Buhari who swept to power in 2015 on a three-pronged promise of tackling insecurity, fighting corruption and rebuilding the country’s decaying infrastructure.
“He says to me although a number of our girls were reunited with their parents and are being catered for by the Federal Government, he is not happy until the remaining girls are freed.”
Zulum equally called for more prayers from Borno residents for the safe return of the students.
“While we pray, our prayers are being combined with relentless support for security agencies and funding thousands of our recruited volunteers, as we all remain determined in our shared goal to free Borno and all its people,” the governor added in a message in which he also acknowledged the mental torture parents of the abducted students are going through.
