Jonathan orders: Chibok girls must be rescued

For the second time in two weeks, President Goodluck Jonathan has given security agencies the marching order to find and rescue the abducted secondary school girls.

There are now no accurate figures of how many of them were kidnapped by suspected Boko Haram insurgents in Chibok, Borno State, but all estimates are in hundreds.

Jonathan met with Borno Governor Kashim Shettima at Aso Rock villa into the wee hours of Sunday.

Thereafter, he issued “a presidential directive” that all the girls must be rescued alive.

Shettima attended the meeting at the Presidential Villa alongside his deputy, his chief of staff, the commissioner for education, the chairman of the affected local government, the state commissioner of police, the divisional police officer and the principal of the Government Girls School, Chibok.

Vice-President Namadi Sambo, Senate President David Mark, and Secretary to the Government of the Federation Anyim Pius Anyim also attended.

Presidential spokesman Reuben Abati said after the meeting: “The president has given very clear directives that everything must be done to ensure that those girls are brought back to safety.

“There was a lot of discussion. This is the first time the president will be meeting with all the other key persons like the school principal, the local government chairman and the commissioner of police.

“Before now, the president and the governor meet regularly. This is a security operation and at this stage, it is not every detail of the efforts of the Federal Government that will be put into public domain particularly that there are indications that those responsible for the abduction have been issuing all kinds of threats.

“What is clear is the determination, the commitment and the resolve of Mr. President and the governor to make sure that these girls are brought back to safety.

“I don’t want to deal with numbers. Even if it is one person, the safety of every Nigerian is important.”

Abati said the meeting was a follow-up to the one Jonathan had on Friday, adding that no stone would be left unturned in others to achieve the objective.

He said there was a high-powered collaboration among all stakeholders including government at all levels and the community to ensure the safety of the girls.

No member of the Borno delegation spoke to journalists at the end of the meeting.