The President, Major General Muhammadu Buhari (retd.), has extended his good wishes to the people of Chibok, Borno State, as they hold prayers and thanksgiving services to mark the sixth anniversary of the kidnapping of their daughters by Boko Haram terrorist group.

No fewer than 276 Chibok schoolgirls were kidnapped by Boko Haram members on April 14, 2014.

Though some of them have been rescued or escaped, at least 112 of them are still missing.

Buhari, in a statement by the Senior Special Assistant to the President on Media and Publicity, Garba Shehu, on Monday, expressed regret that the COVID-19 pandemic, with restrictions on movement, made it impossible for any government delegation to be with them during the event.

He, however, assured the people of Chibok that he was still mindful of their welfare and their concerns, especially regarding their daughters, who were still missing.

The statement read in part,

“On the specific issue of the freedom for the remaining girls held by the terrorists, the President notes the ongoing efforts on two fronts:

“The armed forces of the country who are on general operations in the entire region continue in their hope that they would encounter these girls, as they did thousands of other hostages, rescue and bring them back home.

“The nation’s security and intelligence community, in whom a lot of hope is reposed in rescuing the abducted girls, is making a lot of efforts using backroom channels to get them back to their families.”

According to the President, these are processes, formal and informal, that involve different groups with links to the terrorists, and are very tedious and uneasy as seen in different parts of the world.

“The issue of the Chibok girls is not a forgotten issue. We cannot go to sleep over this matter. We are optimistic that ongoing efforts will yield something positive,” Buhari said.

The President stated that an ongoing crisis within the Boko Haram leadership, which led to factions and breakaway groups, had brought a number of unforeseen challenges to the process of negotiating with the militants for the young women’s release.

He added that, in the past few years, the armed forces had recorded huge successes in the battle against Boko Haram, but they had also been careful to ensure that as few civilian lives as possible were lost in the process.

“We would rather the young women still in captivity were freed alive,” he said.

Buhari also reflected on the progress being made by the freed ‘Chibok girls’, who were sponsored by his administration to study at the American University of Nigeria, Yola, saying he was proud of what they were doing.

He encouraged them to remain focused on their studies and on the unique opportunity that had been given to them by God, following their “horrific time in captivity.”

The statement concluded,

“President Buhari also commends Yakubu Nkeki, Lawan Zannah and Yana Galang, the executive officials of the Association of the Parents of the Abducted Girls from Chibok, on their steadfast efforts to advocate for the welfare of the parents, the freed women, and those still in captivity.”