Chibok Girls: Saraki seeks safe return of others

Senate President Bukola Saraki has commended President Muhammadu Buhari, the security forces, Switzerland and the international community for the combined efforts that led to the release of the girls.

Saraki, in a statement by his Special Adviser (Media and Publicity), Yusuph Olaniyonu, in Abuja, however, expressed the hope that the release of more of the girls is imminent, admonishing security forces to remain vigilant in the face of the renewed security breaches in the North East.

He said: “We join all Nigerians to rejoice on the return of our daughters. Our thoughts and prayers remain with the families of those who have returned, and those girls who remain in the hands of the terrorists.

“The release of the 21 girls is a testament to the perseverance of our men and women in uniform, the civilian joint task force and a clear indication that this government has been relentless in securing their release,” the Senate President said.

“Moving forward, we need to ensure that the girls that have been returned back to us are re-united with their families, and rehabilitated to become full members of our society,” he added.

He cautioned: “We must also not take our foot off the gas, Nigerians must continue to be united and insistent on the safe return of the other girls that are still in the hands of Boko Haram,” he said.

The Senate President restated the commitment of the 8th Senate to continue supporting the Federal Government to secure the release of the remaining Chibok girls, highlighting the fact that their abduction still represents a dark notch in the history of the country.

“On our part, the Nigerian Senate has been clear that we will continue to do everything within our powers to support efforts aimed at securing the release of the rest of the girls,” Saraki said.