FG: WE DON’T HAVE INFORMATION ON WHEREABOUTS OF CHIBOK GIRLS

The federal government on Wednesday confessed that it did not have vital information regarding the exact location and welfare of the kidnapped 219 Chibok schoolgirls.
The Coordinator of the National Information Centre and Director General of the National Orientation Agency (NOA), Mr. Mike Omeri, said while speaking with journalists in Abuja, however, that the government remained resolute on the rescue of the missing girls.
He explained that government was banking on speculations that the girls are in Sambisa forest.
“It is generally believed that the girls are in Sambisa forest, even those who escaped among them said they came from the forest. Since most of the places occupied by the insurgents have been captured and combed, let us wait for the outcome the operation in Sambisa,” he said.
When asked about the welfare of the girls, Omeri said: “We have no such information, if we have such information, the girls by now, would be in their homes.”
Omeri insisted that the Nigerian troops and allied forces in the operation area are making appreciable gains.
“In recent months, our security agencies have made significant gains in their counterinsurgency efforts, with the arrest and prosecution of the suspects of the Nyanya bombings as well as the liberation of 40 communities from the control of Boko Haram. Presently, the military is moving into the Sambisa forest after taking Alagarno Gwoza, Bama, Malam Fatori, Abadam, among others.
“The fortification of the border routes by other members of the Multinational Joint Task Force (MNJTF) has also played a key role in these successes. Our intelligence indicates that the present military operation is focused in the area where the girls are believed to be held,” he stated.
Omeri added that the government would resettle the Internally Displaces Persons (IDPs) in the shortest possible time.
“The government is committed to returning and resettling people from the affected communities as soon as possible. It is also in the process of revamping the economies of these local communities, while guaranteeing safety and security. Presently, the IDPs in the six North-eastern states and those displaced in neighboring countries are being provided for by the government through the National Emergency Management Authorities (NEMA) and other agencies,” he said.
Source: Thisday