The United States government has strongly condemned the abduction of some girls from the Government Girls Technical College, Dapchi, in Yobe State.
Addressing reporters in Kaduna State, the U.S. Ambassador to Nigeria, Mr Stuart Symington, described the invasion of schools and abduction of innocent students by the Boko Haram terrorists as the highest height of desperation by the outlawed group.
READ ALSO: Dapchi Schoolgirls’ Abduction A National Disaster – Buhari
Symington who spoke after visiting a tomato farm in Igabi Local Government Area of the state alongside Governor Nasir El-Rufai, urged Nigerians to support the government in tackling insecurity in the country.
“There are many reasons for insecurity in the world, but the greatest reason is that people sometimes depend on others to keep them secured,” he said.
The business of keeping Nigeria secure is not the business of any small group of Nigerians, it’s the business of every day of every Nigerian.”
On ways to tackle the Boko Haram insurgency and develop the country, the US Envoy is of the view that the Federal Government must tackle poverty, illiteracy, and underdevelopment at all levels.
He stressed that such challenges are what breed insecurity, pointing out the urgent need for the government to address the issues, especially in the North East where the insurgency has killed several people displaced thousands.
“The fundamental way for Nigeria to be even greater tomorrow than it is today is for every Nigerian to be educated and healthier; have a better job, have a better life, have a better sense of their own civic duties and responsibilities,” Symington said.
Conflicting figures of the abducted girls had emerged after suspected terrorists stormed the school on Monday and forcefully took away some girls while others were said to have fled into the bush.
In a statement by his Senior Special Assistant on Media and Publicity Garba Shehu, President Muhammadu Buhari described the abduction as a national disaster.
The President, however, gave the assurance that no effort would be spared by the Federal Government to rescue the girls and bring succour to their families.
