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Five years on, the Chief of Army Staff (COAS), Lt.-Gen. Tukur Buratai, yesterday reaffirmed that the search by the military for the remaining Chibok girls was ongoing.
Delivering the maiden lecture of the Centre for Contemporary Security Affairs of the Igbinedion University, Okada, Edo State entitled “Military and Democratic Consolidation in Nigeria: Appraisal of Nigerian Army Counter-Terrorism and Counter Insurgency Operations”, the Army chief expressed hope for the release of the rest girls and all other kidnapped persons nationwide.
He said: “The Nigerian Army is still searching for all abducted persons in the country, including the remaining abducted Chibok girls.”
Buratai noted that the activities of the Boko Haram sect had been confined to the fringes of Lake Chad and Sambisa Forest, adding that the military had degraded the terrorists in parts of the North East through a systematic campaign with support from sister security agencies and para-military establishments.
About 210 female students of Government Secondary School, Chibok, Borno State were kidnapped by the sect on April 14, 2014. One hundred and seven of them were later released following successful negotiations between the President Muhammadu Buhari administration and the abductors.
However, the institution’s vice chancellor, Professor Lawrence Ezemonye, said the centre was raised to proffer solutions to emerging security challenges confronting most nations of the world.