The federal government is aware of the location of the girls abducted by Boko Haram in Chibok last month, and they will soon be reunited with their families, senior special assistant to the president on public affairs, Dr. Doyin Okupe has said.
Defending the government’s response to the kidnap, Okupe revealed that President Goodluck Jonathan had already deployed more than 20,000 soldiers to Borno even before news of the abduction went viral.
This, he argued, is contrary to speculations that the president has done very little to rescue them, evidenced by the various protests across the nation and beyond.
“We have located the girls and they will be safely returned to their parents. That President Jonathan did not make a show of his activities when the issue of Chibok girls broke out did not mean he was not doing anything,” Okupe told CNN during an interview.
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“More than 20,000 soldiers have been deployed to strengthen the fight against Boko Haram. Two weeks ago further deployment was also made.”
He expressed delight that neighbouring countries have — for the first time — agreed to partner Nigeria in ridding its borders of terrorism.
“Recently the effect of the outcome of what happened in Paris is paying off. For the first time, the security agencies in neighbouring countries like Chad, Niger and Cameroon have agreed [to work with Nigeria against terrorism], and are already working with the Nigerian security agencies. This is the greatest development in this matter that we are in,” he said.
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On ongoing collaborations between Nigeria and other countries who have volunteered help, he explained that the Nigerian military has been providing the manpower while relying on the international community for expertise.
“We don’t have any serious expertise and surveillance in this insurgency,” he said.
“Our partnership with the United States, United Kingdom, France, Canada and all other foreigners, [it] is for them to provide expertise for us, because these countries have had longer experiences in dealing with rescue operations and insurgency.”
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5 comments
This is really sad. Why is it impossible for Government functionaries in critical positions it employ tact, wisdom and diplomacy in sensitive issues? How can someone claim that the Government has located these girls and will soon return them safely to their parents ? Are they in Government custody?
Okupe is a Doctor of Medicine and should know better. This grandstanding will not do the President and the image of Nigeria any good.
My broda, don`t you understand body language, swap arrangements have been concluded and results will be felt soon. There is no macho man n this game, we are not interested in how it happened, just get the girls back
This is so sad. Who is in charge in Nigeria? Only yesterday, the Presidency which Okupe is presumably speaking for, condemned the CDS for claiming they have located the girls. Confusion don break bone!
These boys have begun to trivialise the whole scenario. When the Army General said they had located the location of the mission Girls, one believed the statement to a measure, but now that the President’s compere extraordinaire is now saying the same, I think Doyin is just emitting politics. Pray, who do we believe here?
We have located chibokgirls! were are they? What a country for GOD sake, were are we going and what a shameless country we are in? What a weak and unconcern government? Denying it’s responsibilities,living people’s children in an insurgent primises for 80 days no action taken. We feel pitty asume that we have no government in thise country. And GOD ill judge them.