The Federal Government has restated its commitment to securing the release of the remaining abducted Chibok schoolgirls and Leah Sharibu, emphasizing that they have not been forgotten.
On April 14, 2014, Boko Haram terrorists kidnapped 276 girls from Government Girls Secondary School, Chibok, Borno State. Eleven years later, 87 of those girls are still believed to be in captivity. Similarly, Leah Sharibu, who was kidnapped alongside 109 other students from Government Girls’ Science and Technical College, Dapchi, Yobe State, on February 19, 2018, remains in captivity. Leah was the only Christian among the group.
Speaking during a multi-agency anti kidnapping meeting in Abuja organized in partnership with the United Kingdom’s National Crime Agency the National Coordinator of the National Counter Terrorism Centre, Major General Adamu Laka, said that efforts to rescue the girls are ongoing.
Laka noted that the rescue of abducted individuals has been a gradual process involving negotiations and military operations. “I was part of the military operations shortly after the abduction, and I know the efforts that went into rescuing the first batch of Chibok girls,” he said.
He stressed that while some of the girls were forced into marriage with insurgents, several have since been rescued. However, he urged Nigerians not to focus only on the Chibok girls, highlighting that many aid workers including those working for UNICEF and the UNHCR have also been kidnapped and rescued.
“The fact that the government is not constantly in the media talking about Leah Sharibu or the remaining Chibok girls does not mean we have abandoned them. We are still working behind the scenes to ensure their release,” he assured.
Laka also gave updates on the work of the Multi Agency Anti Kidnap Fusion Cell, established under the National Counter Terrorism Centre by the National Security Adviser, Nuhu Ribadu, in December 2024. Since its launch, the cell has improved coordination between intelligence, law enforcement, and military agencies to better respond to kidnapping cases across Nigeria.
As part of efforts to improve state level response, anti-kidnap liaison officers from the Nigeria Police Force and the Department of State Services have been deployed across all 36 states and the Federal Capital Territory.
“The goal is to bridge the gap between national strategy and local response by enabling real time intelligence sharing and stronger coordination with state commands,” Laka explained.
He concluded by expressing hope that all the remaining girls and other kidnap victims will be rescued soon.
