The House of Representatives has asked President
Goodluck Jonathan to ensure the rescue of the Chibok secondary schools girls
abducted by Boko Haram before the May 29 handover date.
Members of the House passed the resolution after
unanimously adopting a motion of urgent public importance moved by Hon. Abike
Dabiri-Erewa (APC/Lagos).
Dabiri-Erewa in her motion said that it was exactly
one year that the 219 female students of the Government Secondary School,
Chibok were abducted by Boko Haram insurgents.
She expressed concern that the girls were yet to be
rescued while their whereabouts remain unknown, adding that the House was
worried over the current status of the kidnapped girls.
“One year on, we don't know whether they are dead or
alive, married, pregnant or scattered in different locations. It is one of the
saddest happenings in our country.
“Imagine that your child is missing for a day; we must
be able to know where they are and Nigerians should not forget these girls.”
Contributing to debate on the motion, Nnenna Ukeje
(PDP/Abia) commended efforts of the conveners of the “Bring Back Our Girls
Campaign Group” towards the rescue of the missing girls.
According to her scores of children have been killed,
students maimed and people displaced by the insurgents, adding, “the Chibok
girls incident is too painful to remember”
In his own contribution, Hon. Friday Itula (Edo/PDP)
said that the activities of the kidnappers of the girls remain a thorn in the
flesh of the current administration.
He appealed to the federal government to ensure that
the abducted girls are rescued before the hand over date and commended the
efforts of the military in recovering communities that were captured by
insurgents.
“One more step for Goodluck Jonathan's administration
to go is to ensure the release of the girls. I hope that by May 29, Nigeria
will celebrate the recovery of the girls,” Itula added.
The lawmaker further solicited the collective efforts
of all Nigerians in ensuring that the girls were rescued alive.
Nkoyo Toyo (PDP-Cross River) described the abduction
of the girls as a crime against humanity, calling for the prosecution of the
perpetrators.
In his remarks, Speaker of the House or
Representatives, Rep. Aminu Tambuwal said that the country would do everything
to ensure the rescue of the girls, adding that as a nation, we must do
everything humanly possible to recover these girls.
“It is really sad we have gotten to this level. Even
the claim by the armed forces that they know where the girls are has turned out
not to be correct”.
Tambuwal noted that the amendment of the
anti-terrorism bill as well as passage of the defence budget without reductions
was geared towards ensuring victory over insurgency.
“We had in the past done all we had to do. We
pray that God shall not only touch the hearts of the kidnappers but guide the
security operatives to rescue the girls.”
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