President Goodluck Jonathan today assured parents of the girls abducted by militant Islamist group Boko Haram that the government is doing everything possible to secure their release.
“Anyone who gives you the impression that we are aloof and that we are not doing what we are supposed to do to get the girls out is not being truthful. Our commitment is not just to get the girls out, it is also to rout Boko Haram completely from Nigeria,” Jonathan told the parents.
“But we are very, very mindful of the safety of the girls. We want to return them all alive to their parents,” he said.
Jonathan met the parents for the first time on Tuesday after girl-child education campaigner Malala Yousafzai visited Nigeria and met representatives from the community, including some of the parents.
Jonathan, who had being accused of handling the crisis badly had wanted to seize the opportunity of having some of the parents in Abuja to. convene a meeting, but they declined, saying it had been organised in a hurry, so there was not time to consult with all the parents.
Jonathan blamed the community’s stance on the #BringBackOurGirls campaign group, which he accused of playing politics and derailing the meeting.
A total of 177 people – including 51 of the girls who managed to escape Boko Haram’s captivity – met President Jonathan, reports the BBC.
The paren
ts left the meeting without showing emotion but some shook hands with the
president, AP reports, adding that some of the escaped schoolgirls smiled for photographers after the meeting.
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