Borno State commissioner for Information and Internal Security, Prof Usman Tar has assured parents of the remaining Chibok schoolgirls still in the hands of Boko Haram terrorists that government would not rest on its oars until the last of the girls are back home with their families.
Prof Tar gave the assurance yesterday during a press briefing on
the abduction and rescue of Chibok girls, the management and resettlement of IDPs and matters arising, the Borno Restoration Project and the Borno Peace, Reconciliation and Development Programme (Borno Model) held at the Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ) Press Centre in Maiduguri.
The commissioner who recalled that 10 years ago, the Boko Haram insurgents criminally abducted 276 innocent girls at their hotels at Government Girls Secondary School Chibok, said this painful date is engrained in the peoples’ collective memory.
“We shall not rest on our oars until the last of our innocent girls are back home with their families. On this auspicious occasion of the 10th anniversary of the abduction of Chibok girls, the Borno State Government identifies and sympathises with all those who are affected by abduction.
“The Government wishes to inform the public that we shall continue to struggle to salvage our abducted girls on behalf of the parents and relatives of the Chibok girls who are still in captivity.
“We also wish to use this occasion to take stock of the rescued girls and provide an update on how the girls are coming to terms with adjusting to normal life after captivity, and efforts of the Borno State Government to sustain the momentum on the rescue of the remaining girls.
“So far, out of the 276 abducted Chibok girls,187 have been rescued and reunited with their families. Most of the rescued girls have, over the years, been enrolled in different schools or graduated under the supervision of the Federal Ministry of Women Affairs. A number of the girls have been enrolled into local and foreign scholarships or empowerment programmes. Many have since been reunited with their immediate families and are continuing to receive psychosocial support to reconcile them with normal life.
“Furthermore, 16 recently rescued girls are being rehabilitated by the Borno State Government and attending the ‘Second Chance School’ where they learn skills in various vocations that will provide them with sustainable livelihoods, while their kids are also placed in nursery schools. Four rescued girls have voluntarily decided to return to their parents.
“We remain hopeful and determined that, with the combined efforts of our security forces, intelligence agencies, and community support, all abducted persons will be safely returned,” he said.
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