Three Ministers Lead FG Delegation To Chibok And Pray With Families Of Abducted Girls

Three ministers led the Federal Government delegation to Chibok town Thursday in commemoration of the two years abduction of 219 schoolgirls.

Minister of Environment, Mrs Amina Mohammed, Minister of state for National Planning, Hajiya Zainab Ahmed, her works, power and housing counterpart, Hon Mustapha Baba Shehuri, Sen Ali Ndume (Borno Central) and Sen Binta Garba (Adamawa North) joined Gov Kashim Shettima of Borno State at the Government Secondary School where the girls were kidnaped, to offer prayers for the return of the teenagers kidnapped on April 14, 2014 by Boko Haram.

Angry parents and relations of the abducted girls maintained only the release of their daughters can relieve their pains. Leader of the abducted Chibok girls parents, Mr Yakubu Nkeki in a speech said the grief and sorrow of their missing daughters are boldly written on their faces.

"We cannot fathom your definite location and the condition you are in right now. Are you alive or dead. Are you pregnant, put to bed or empty. Have you eaten the food of your choice or forced to eat something against your will. Have you taken your bath today. How do you take care of yourself during your menstrual flow?" he asked.

He said they were aware nobody could answer some of the posers except the abductors of their daughters, urging the government to step up efforts at freeing the girls. He alleged the Federal Government was not doing enough to free the schoolgirls even as he appealed to the state government to rebuild their destroyed school.

Borno State governor, Kashim Shettima said former President Goodluck Jonathan should be blamed for the woes of the Chibok parents. He said the schoolgirls would have been freed few days after the abduction had the president acted.

"The president didn't even believe the adduction took place. Perhaps that was why he and his wife never visited Chibok even for once. One noisy governor even recently said the abduction of our daughters was false. This clearly shows their mentality," he said, urging the people to pray the more.

He challenged the people to submit the lists of indigenous contractors of Chibok extraction to the government for consideration for the award of contracts for the building of new schools and hospital in Chibok.

Senators Ndume and Binta in their separate remarks appealed to the parents and families of the girls to be united in prayers. "President Buhari is committed to securing the release of these girls but we need to be focused and support the government. It is not time for blames," he said, a position supported by Sen Binta. She said the presence of government delegation of three ministers, senators and other senior officials in Chibok to pray with the people underscores the sensitivity of the presidency to the Chibok issue.

Minister of Environment, Mrs Amina Ibrahim announced FG donation of a truck of food items, clothing and money for the mothers of the missing girls. Chairman, Chibok Local Government, Abba Lawan thanked the FG delegation and the state government. Initiator of #BringBackOurGirls# campaign, Dr Aisha Bala Usman, also attended the commemorative event.