Chibok Girls Are Alive – FG

Claims that the kidnapped Chibok girls have been massacred are untrue and should be discard­ed, the Federal Government de­clared on Wednesday.

The declaration is in direct con­trast with a claim last week by an official of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugee, Raad Zeid al Hussein, that the school­girls might have been slaughtered.

Briefing journalists in Abuja on Wednesday, the Coordinator of the National Information Centre (NIC), Mr Mike Omeri, insisted that all hope was not lost on the girls.

He also urged Nigerians to be hopeful as recovery of the captured towns and villages by Nigerian troops was still ongoing. He em­phatically urged the people to dis­regard the speculations.

His words: “The search for Chibok girls continues and that is why even with capture of Bama and the rest, security and military have never relented. Until it is con­cluded, we cannot begin to believe speculation.”

Noting that the first year mark of the abduction is next week, Omeri said: “We hope to give a compre­hensive report on what we know so far, and how far the searching has gone.”

He added: “The assurance I will give you is that everywhere is be­ing combed and whatever element we find will be revealed to appro­priate authority and nobody is go­ing to keep anything secret.”

Omeri also urged Nigerians to be vigilant during Saturday’s Gov­ernorship and States Houses of As­sembly elections.

He pledged that the military would also be ready to subdue any form of attack from the terror group during the election.

His words: “Recall that in our statement on the eve of the Presi­dential and National Assembly elections, we reiterated to Nigeri­ans the need to exercise the highest level of vigilance and also scruti­nize the activities of unknown and strange persons within their envi­ronment.

“In respect of the forthcoming Governorship and State Assem­bly Elections, we remind the citi­zens to maintain a similar level of vigilance and caution to ensure a peaceful and incident – free exercise.”

Omeri stated further: “As efforts are being made to ensure a hitch – free exercise, the NIC wishes to re­assure Nigerians, especially those living in communities that recently experienced some security chal­lenges arising from the activities of Boko Haram resurgence, that our military and security forces are, more than ever, very ready to ensure the protection of lives and property, while securing the coun­try’s territorial integrity”.

Speaking further on the fight against insurgents, the NIC Co­ordinator pledged that the Nige­rian military would continue to safeguard the communities which were reclaimed from Boko Haram, as those communities are still vul­nerable to attacks.

”Lately, there have been reported cases of surprise attacks on some communities in the North East by the Boko Haram, but the recent siege on Alagarno, a well-known and strategic Boko Haram strong­hold, has dealt a severe blow on the operations of the insurgent group which is experiencing its last days in the region,” said.

Omeri continued: “In a situation such as presently exists in the area, there is a high tendency for the in­surgent group to suddenly aim at soft targets to destabilize communi­ties which are regaining normalcy.

“However, the Nigerian mili­tary has continued to bring the situation under control and also safeguard the lives and property of citizens, while humanitarian assistance is being provided by ap­propriate authorities.

“The NIC, therefore, calls on Nigerians, particularly those liv­ing in the affected communities, to continue to support the efforts of our military and security forces at restoring normalcy in the area,” Omeri added.