President Buhari hints on the release of Leah Sharibu, other Chibok girls

…calls for unity, tolerance

Chioma Joseph

President Muhammadu Buhari has hinted that Leah Sharibu and other Chibok girls held captive by the Boko Haram insurgents will regain their freedom soon.

The president who was speaking as a special guest of honour at the Nigerian Army Day Celebration (NADCEL) 2019, said the Nigerian Army(NA) and other armed forces are working relentless to rescue the abducted girls.

Buhari who was represented by the vice – president, Yemi Osinbanjo also stated that unity and tolerance were vital in winning the war against the insurgents.

At the event which held at Ikeja Cantonment on Saturday, the President said the Nigerian Army has remained a united force in the fight against insurgency and crime in the country.

While congratulating the Nigerian Army on her 156th year celebration, he said NA have grown from strength to strength, fulfilling it’s primary responsibility of securing the territorial integrity of Nigeria.

The President said the NA under the leadership of the Chief of Army Staff(COAS), Lt. -Gen. Tukur Buratai, had exhibited a high level of dedication to service.

He said, “Let me use this opportunity to reiterate our absolute determination to achieve success in our fight against insurgency and other form of criminal conduct in the country. You the members of the Nigerian Army have continued to put in your best on behalf of your country.

“It is our duty to continue to make available to you our armed forces, all the morals, materials, and finance support that you require. Let me again assure you that we will faithfully, discharge all our obligations to you.

“ We also must continue to demonstrate the political will and determination towards ensuring that our land is rid off insurgency, and that criminality is kept at the bearest minimum.

” We have rolled back the footprint of Boko Haram, where once they controlled 17 local government in this country in the north east of Nigeria, especially as at early 2015. Today, they control no Nigerian territory.

“ We are surrounded by the evidence of the progress that has been made in the fight against insurgency. Like you all know, Monguno where you held the military equipment exhibition and the military fair last year, was once a strong hold of Boko Haram.

“ Sambisa forest, once the spiritual heartland of the insurgent, hosted the NA 2017, small arms championship. More than a 100 of our chibok girls abducted in April 2014, have been rescued and reunited with their families in addition to the dapchi girls and thousands of other boko haram hostages freed in the north east.

“ Let me say that we want to reassure the families and friends that this adminstration will not relent in its effort to bring back all the remaining girls, including leah sharibu who has become a foster child for the heinous activities of Boko Haram insurgency. We will reunite them with their families and friends.”

He called on Nigerian to see terrorism as a common enemy regardless of the tribe and religion “ Even as we have seen the threat represented by Boko Haram, we have seen other threats like the emerging Islamic state west Africa, (eswap)

and others in the lake chad Islands and parts southern part of Brono, radical Islamic terrorism is an evil that must be seen as the common enemy of all faith including Islam.

“ Their victims are men women and children, Muslim or Christian so long as they do not share their sick ideology.

We must recognise this sick extremism for what it is and to form alliances across faith, across ethnicity to destroy an evil that confronts us all.

“ We must never let the self serving ethnic and religious jingoist and bigots whoever they may be, create the circumstance for strife and blood shed again in this nation.

This is also an opportunity to remind Nigerian of the need to live in peace with one another, to choose unity and tolerance over violence or sectional.”

Present at the occasion were the representative of the Senate President, the Chief of Defence Staff(CDS), the Chief of Air Staff(CAS), the Chief of Naval Staff(CNS), the Governor of Kwara State and the Representative of the Governor of Lagos state.