Politics Today

PRESIDENT Muhammadu Buhari has ordered a fresh investigation into the circumstances leading to the abduction of 219 girls from Government Secondary in Chibok, Borno State about two years ago.
The soon to be panel to investigate the incident which happened in April 2014 is soon to be named by the National Security Adviser, NSA, General Babagana Monguno.
A statement by the Senior Special Assistant to the President on Media and Publicity, Garba Shehu said the development was a fall out of the meeting between the President and members of the #BringBackOurGirls campaigners at the Presidential Villa Abuja yesterday.
The decision is a veiled response to one of the demands of the group, led by a former Education Minister, Obiageli Ezekwesili. Besides ordering a fresh investigative panel to unravel the circumstances, Ezekwesili told reporters earlier that the group also demanded the release of the Gen. Ibrahim Sabo led Presidential Fact-Finding committee set up by the Jonathan administration on the heels of the abduction of the school girls in April 2014.
According to Shehu, the investigation would seek to, among other things, unravel the remote and immediate circumstances leading the kidnap of the girls by Boko Haram terrorists as well the other events, actions and inactions that followed the incident.
This came to light just as the President, in Abuja, assured parents of the Chibok girls that he has been doing his best and will continue to do everything possible to rescue them and re-unite them with their families.
“I assure you that I go to bed and wake up every day with the Chibok girls on my mind.
“The unfortunate incident happened before this government came into being.
What have we done since we assumed office? We re-organized the military, removed all the service chiefs and ordered the succeeding service chiefs to deal decisively with the Boko Haram insurgency.
“In spite of the terrible economic condition we found ourselves in, we tried to get some resources to give to the military to reorganize and equip, retrain, deploy more troops and move more forcefully against Boko Haram.
“And you all know the progress we have made. When we came in Boko Haram was in Adamawa, Yobe and Borno. Boko Haram has now been reduced to areas around Lake Chad.
“Securing the Chibok girls is my responsibility. The service chiefs and heads of our security agencies will tell you that in spite of the dire financial straits that we found the country in, I continue to do my best to support their efforts in that regard.
“This is a Nigeria where we were exporting average of two million barrels per day at over $140 per barrel. Now it is down to about $27 to $30 pbd.
“You have been reading in the press how they took public funds, our funds, your funds and shared it, instead of buying weapons.
That was the kind of leadership I succeeded. That was the kind of economy we inherited.
“God knows I have done my best and I will continue to do my best,” President Buhari said.
Co-chair and former education minister, Oby Ezekwesili had earlier said that the group would continue to demand for the whereabouts of the girls: “We will keep demanding as we have been doing for action to be taken to rescue our Chibok girls.
“Thirdly, is that the matter of investigation of exactly what happened that led to the abduction of our Chibok girls is critical. A number of members of that community are insisting that there were investigations that were not concluded by the previous administration in order to unearth some of the things that happened before our Chibok girls were taken out,” Ezekwesili said.

Guardian