President Jonathan appoints fact finding committee on Chibok missing girls.

The President Goodluck Jonathan-led Federal Government in its effort to rescue over 200 girls of the Government Secondary School, Chibok, Borno State who were kidnapped recently, has appointed Retired General Ibrahim A. Sabo as the Chairman of a fact finding committee to bring back the girls.

According to the list of committee members released by the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Anyim Pius Anyim, on Friday, 2nd May, 2014,  the Permanent Secretary (Special Services Office) in the Office of the Secretary to the Government of the Federation (OSGF) will serve as secretary to the committee.

The composition of the committee include: Barrister Femi Falana (SAN), who has declined to serve in the committee, Hajia Hawa Ibrahim, Hajia Fatima Kwaku, 2 representatives of National Council of Women Societies (NCWS), 2 representatives of the All Nigeria Conference of Principals of Secondary Schools (one whom shall be a female), 2 representatives of the National Parents Teachers Association, 2 representatives of the Nigeria Police, 2 representatives of the State Security Service and 2 representatives of the Nigerian Army.

Others are 1 representative of the Federal Ministry of Information (who shall be the Committees’ Spokesperson), 1 representative of the Federal Ministry of Justice, 3representatives of Borno State Government (2 of whom, preferably, shall be women),2 representatives of the Nigeria Union of Journalists, one representative of the United Nations, one representative of ECOWAS (who shall be a woman).

The terms of reference of the committee, according to Anyim, include:

1.        To liaise with the Borno State Government and establish the circumstances leading to the School remaining open for boarding students when other schools were closed
2.        To liaise with relevant authorities and the parents of the missing girls to establish the actual number and identities of the girls abducted

3.          To interface with the Security Services and Borno State Government to ascertain how many of the missing girls have returned

4.         To mobilize the surrounding communities and the general public on citizen support for a rescue strategy and operation

5.          To articulate a framework for a multi-stakeholder action for the rescue of the missing girls and

6.          To advise Government on any matter incidental to the terms of reference.