Council of State assures on schoolgirls’ freedom
By Abdullahi M. Gulloma
Abuja
President Goodluck Jonathan has no plan to reveal details of efforts to rescue the Chibok girls abducted by Boko Haram, his spokesman Dr Reuben Abati said yesterday.
According to Abati, the president would not bow to the pressure by critics to disclose specific details of military operations in the North-east.
He said this in a response to an article by Karen Attiah published in the Washington Post.
He said Attiah’s July 3 op-ed, “#BringBackMyEasyDays,” was “incorrect on the facts” surrounding Jonathan’s efforts to rescue the more than 200 young girls abducted in April by the terrorist group.
Abati said: “The claim that the president has a ‘do-nothing’ attitude toward rescuing the girls is no different than what was written about President Obama’s decision not to disclose his efforts to seize and arrest the alleged ringleader of the 2012 terrorist attacks in Benghazi, Libya, that killed four Americans — until he did just that.
“Mr. Jonathan won’t put the lives of these girls at risk by publicly revealing details of the recovery operation for the sake of satisfying his critics.
“Despite Ms. Attiah’s claims to the contrary, even before the abductions, the president was engaged in international intelligence-sharing involving West Africa, Europe and the United States, and he had also launched the Counter-Terrorism Centre in Nigeria.
“He has been working intensely on the very challenging situation posed
by Boko Haram since assuming office, including declaring a state of
emergency in May 2013 in the three most affected northern states.”
Meanwhile, the Council of State yesterday deliberated on issues of national interest, including the abduction of the Chibok schoolgirls, and assured that the girls would soon be rescued.
Briefing State House correspondents after the meeting, Governor Godswill Akpabio of Akwa Ibom state said the council was briefed by the president and the national security adviser on the steps being taken to rescue the girls.
He said: “Military authorities also confirmed that efforts were being made and that very soon we will have good news. It was also heartwarming to note that the issue is not whether we can rescue the girls, but the issue is how can we rescue them in a way that we can ensure their safety so that we don’t end up in the attempt to rescue them we endanger their lives.
“What also came out is the need for Nigerians to be patient because terrorism is a new challenge in Nigeria and it is not something that goes away immediately, and we have to be meticulous in our approach and make sure that we take the best steps forward to reduce and minimise possible loss of lives in an attempt to curb the insurgents.
“We are very satisfied the security agents know very well where the girls are
located and they are on top of the situation.
“We commended the security agents who are on top of the situation and we are happy that very serious efforts are being made, all necessary equipment that will enable us bring this insurgency to an end are being procured by the federal government and Council was satisfied that Mr. President is on top of situation and he is taking this issue of insurgency very seriously and sooner than later Nigerians will see an end to this problem.”
Akpabio, who briefed journalists alongside Governors Adams Oshiomole
of Edo state and Mukhtar Ramalan Yero of Kaduna state, said other issues discussed during the meeting was the appointment of certain commissioners in the National Population Commission.
“The Council was duly consulted in line with the constitutional provision for Ekiti state, Yobe, Jigawa Zamfara and Kebbi, where their commissioners were ratified and approved by Council.”
