219 Chibok girls still missing, says fact-finding committee

The fact-finding committee on the Chibok schoolgirls abducted two months ago by Boko Haram has confirmed that 219 students are still missing.

Speaking on Friday at the presidential villa while presenting the report of its work, Chairman of the committee, Brig-Gen Ibrahim Sabo, disclosed that in the night of April 14, 2014, 276 students of Government Girls Secondary, Chibok, were abducted by Boko Haram, while 119 escaped from the premises of the school.

“Fifty-seven of the abducted students have been reunited with their families after escaping along the zig-zag transport route taken by the insurgents or by bolting to safety when the insurgents laid-by for a rest. Sadly, 219 students remain unaccounted for,” Sabo said.

The chairman acknowledged that there have been doubts over whether the abduction took place at all, but said such doubts couldn’t be farther from the truth.

“As most Nigerians already know, there were some persons who doubted whether, in fact, any student was abducted from Government Secondary School, Chibok.

“On the other hand, for those who believed that there was abduction, there were lingering doubts as to how such a number of kidnap victims were conveyed, considering also that information was sparse as to how the raiding insurgents evacuated the victims.

“The committee here wishes to lay to rest any residual doubt on whether or not any student was abducted at Chibok. There was mass abduction on the night of April 14, 2014.”

Inaugurated on May 6, 2014, by President Goodluck Jonathan, the committee was presenting its report after five weeks of work.