MOHAMMED TO CRITICS: Don’t jeopardise efforts to release more Chibok girls

Alhaji Lai Mohammed, the Minister of Information and Culture, has called on critics to avoid statements that can jeopardise the release of the Chibok girls still in captivity.

Mohammed made the appeal in Abuja on Sunday during a special thanksgiving Church Service and reunion of the 21 girls with their families.

He said, “There are many reckless analysts and commentators who are not helping the situation. We still have many of our children in captivity. Therefore we have to be careful with the kind of comments that we make. We must not make comments that will make the release of these girls difficult or impossible.”

While he quoted from the Scriptures that ‘those who are with us are more than those who are with them’ he added that those who disbelieved the sincerity and commitment of the President Muhammadu Buhari-led administration to the safe release and the reunion of the abducted Chibok girls with their parents have been disappointed.

“When the President said that the Boko Haram saga will not be closed until all the girls abducted have been released and reunited with their families safely, those who doubted did not believe us so we thank God this day has come,” he said.

Read also: Negotiations ongoing to free more Chibok girls, Buhari reveals

He pleaded with parents of the girls who are yet to be freed to continue to exercise patience because “This is the beginning and we are very optimistic that very soon another batch bigger than this will be released. I want to assure you that these negotiations are ongoing even as we speak.”

Yakubu Nkeki, Chairman of the parents of the abducted Chibok school girls, re-echoed Mohammed’s plea cautioning critics to stop spreading rumours, mostly on the social media, that will put the lives of the girls at risk.

This was as he discredited some reports alleging that 18 of the 21 free girls are pregnant and also refuted the claim that the girls were radicalised by Boko Haram.

By Ebere Ndukwu …

 

 

 

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