The Nigerian Military has given reasons why it will not be rushed into embarking on a rescue mission for the Chibok girls, who were abducted from their school in Borno State, April 2014.
The Acting Director, Defence Information, at the Defence Headquarters, Abuja, Col. Rabe Abubakar, who said this at a press conference in Lagos on Thursday, noted that while it was of utmost concern to the military to rescue the schoolgirls, the operation required, demanded adequate patience and planning.
He noted that recent efforts by the military in the rescue of over 200 women and children held captive by Boko Haram proved that the military was on course in recovering the girls.
He said, “The issue of the low morale of the Nigerian military men has now become a thing of the past. The operation to recover the Chibok girls is alive and still ongoing. We have continued to make rescue efforts, and we will do all within our powers to bring the girls.
“However, we will not rush to do this. It requires diligent intervention and a high-level operation to rescue the girls. In due time, every captive of Boko Haram will be released. A lot of achievements have been recorded recently, and this cannot be disconnected from the high morale of the army.
“We want to assure our citizens that soon, insurgency will be a thing of the past. But, it is not only about the military or the North-Eastern region. It is our collective duty to ensure that there is peace in the country.
“The Nigerian army has put together a multilateral cooperation. Niger, Nigeria, Chad and Cameroon are partnering to ensure we win the terrorism war”.
Col. Abubakar, who noted that terror groups only thrived on information, said the military would forgive and rehabilitate insurgents who willingly surrendered to the army.
He said, “The Defence Headquarters has brought out a committee to work out modalities to set up a safe horizon. This is a place where terrorists who decide to surrender will go. Once they are there, they will be spared of any molestation and given treatments conforming to international best practices.
“A terror group can only survive on information. Information has been identified as one of the key elements relied on by terrorist groups to perpetrate their heinous crimes. It is for this reason that we seek collaboration with the media. We are not sleeping. We are cooperating with the relevant agencies in the fight against the terrorists”.
