Hopes of the parents of the yet to be rescued Chibok girls have been raised, as the Governor of Borno State, Kashim Shettima, reassures them that the government is doing everything possible to ensure the return of their daughters.
Over 200 girls were abducted by members of Boko Haram Islamic sect on April 14, 2014.
Since their abduction, less than 70 of them have been rescued, with the last set, 21 of them, spending the Christmas season in their hometown, Chibok.
The girls on Monday spent time with Governor Shettima in Chibok town, where they were taken from their school’s dormitory over two years ago.
Their freedom is an outcome of negotiations with the insurgents brokered by International mediators.
The 21 girls have been in custody of the Federal Government in Abuja and their visit to Chibok saw huge presence of armed soldiers and officials of the Department of State Security who remained their strict guards throughout their stay.
Nothing Is Too Much
The girls appeared excited meeting Governor Shettima again after they had met him in Abuja days after their freedom from Boko Haram’s captivity.
Governor Shettima told the girls that with their cheerful mood, the next concern had to be their future.
“As you know, 56 of your colleagues who escaped abduction are currently in two international schools where they have been since 2014.
“We are taking care of all their educational needs from school fees to other basics.
“Left to me, I would want the 21 of you to join them in those two schools so that you can all feel at home and move on.
“However, the Federal Government has a plan which we will jointly discuss and come up with a decision that is acceptable to you our daughters.
“President Muhammadu Buhari loves you so much and he is deeply concerned about our daughters that are yet to be freed. He is working on that and we are all working” Shettima said.
Consoling parents whose daughters are yet to be rescued, Governor Shettima said all hands are on deck to ensure the return of all the girls.
“Nothing is too much for these girls and their parents.
“They have suffered too much and deserve our support” the Governor said.
The happy girls presented a gift of a medium size photo frame with a bold ‘THANK YOU’ printed on it to the Governor.
The frame has pictures the Governor took with the girls when he visited them in Abuja months back. The frame also has individual pictures of each of the 21 girls.
Glory Dama, one of the 21 girls, presented the photo frame on behalf of her colleagues. She said they deeply appreciate the show of love by Governor Shettima and his wife, Nana Shettima.
