The Federal Government provided renewed hope that it was stepping up efforts to get Leah Sharibu released and reunited with her distraught family more than five years after she was abducted by Boko Haram militants.
When providing the Buhari administration with a scorecard about women’s issues since taking office in 2015, the minister of women’s affairs, Dame Pauline Tallen, provided the assurance.
Dame Tallen noted that even though the kidnapped girl has not been released more than five years after being taken by terrorists, the Federal Government has been in constant contact with her family and is providing the support they need to feel better. She was flanked by the Minister of Information, Lai Mohammed.
She said, “I have been supporting them in whatever way that is possible. I can tell you that any request for support to the family of Leah that I put before Mr. President to remember the family, he approves. I have pictures of the helicopter and the security Mr. President gave to me to go and see the family.
“Leahy Sharibu’s family is not in Chibok but when we got to Chibok, we made arrangements for them to meet us at the Nigerian Airforce Base in Yola and we met and discussed with them as directed by Mr. President.”
Dame Tallen stated that the federal government was very worried about what would happen to the innocent children and would not give up on trying to release them when speaking about the remaining Chibok girls who were being held in terrorists’ den.
She claimed that knowing the young women were still held captive by the terrorists hurt her as a mother.
As a mother, she expressed sympathy for the parents of the children who had been kidnapped, but added that the Nigerian government was taking all necessary measures to return the girls to their families unharmed.
Tallen said, “We are doing our best to free the remaining girls who are still with the terrorists. As a mother, my heart is with them. We feel for them and all Nigerian woman are praying for them day and night. Mr. President is mindful of what they are going through. All Hands must be on deck to free them. Security issue is not just Mr. President’s issue. Neither is it only my issue or the minister of information’s issue.
“Security is everybody’s business. When you see something, say something. I pray that Nigerians will be sincere enough to support our security chiefs with the right information for us to get these girls. I am touched as a mother. This is a season that we should show love and remember those in captivity. Our prayers are with them and I know that very soon God will release these children”.