Governor of Borno State, Babagana Zulum, has said that his administration is still optimistic of rescuing the remaining Chibok schoolgirls in Boko Haram captivity.
Zulum who made an appearance on Channels TV’s Politics Today on Friday, said this while responding to questions about the state of security in the northeastern state.
It’s been six years since over 200 girls were abducted by Boko Haram insurgents from their secondary school in Chibok town.
While some have been rescued and several others escaped, many still remain in captivity.
When asked if the government had lost hope in the rescue of the girls, Zulum said: “not at all”. “We are still optimistic,” the governor who has also been a victim of several attacks, added.
Their abduction sparked several trends across social media including the #BringBackOurGirls which piqued the attention of local and international authorities, demanding swift actions towards the rescue of the girls.
Years later, Borno State remains in the eye of the storm with several insurgent attacks, despite claims by the Federal Government that the military had taken control of Sambisa forest – a major stronghold of the insurgents.
The governor confirmed this on Friday, saying that insurgents are still occupying the shores of the Lake Chad, Sambisa forest and Madra Hills, as he called for the deployment of more military personnel.
“One most important thing is the presence of the insurgents in the Lake Chad, presence of the insurgents in the Sambisa game reserve and the Madra Hills and this is one of our greatest challenges,” he said.
“They normally leave those areas and come and attack innocent people in their settlements and go back to their hideouts and therefore there is a need for the Nigerian Military to take the war into these critical areas with a view to eliminating them”.
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