Parents of the kidnapped Government Girls Secondary School (GGSS), Chibok, have cried foul at the military’s claim that the girls have been rescued.
The parent made their grievances known on Thursday, demanding to know the fate of their daughters after the military claimed that 121 of the girls that were kidnapped by Boko Haram Islamic extremists were now free.
Chris Olukolade, the spokesman for Nigeria’s defense ministry had claimed that the abducted girls were now free and fine except eight of them. But parents and families of the girls countered the claim saying their wards have not been reunited with them.
A senior security source who spoke anonymously also revealed that more than 100 girls remained in captivity.
Talking to journalists on behalf of the parents, Lawan Zanna, whose daughter was also abducted, expressed disbelief at the false information being spread by the military.
“They are yet to be reunited with us”, Zanna said. “For the military (which) is supposed to find and rescue our children to be spreading such lies shows that they have no intention of rescuing our girls. It is the highest form of insult”.
On Wednesday, Borno State Governor, Kashim Shettima had said that only 14 of the girls escaped while he offered a reward of N50m to anyone with information that led to the return of the others.
Parents of kidnapped pupils had besieged the Chibok home of the area’s tribal chief on Wednesday, demanding clarification after the military claim that the girls had been freed.
Also on Wednesday, the country’s information minister, Labaran Maku told journalists in Abuja that a manhunt has been declared in the area. While, the senator representing the district, Sen. Ali Ndume, assured journalists that the search for the girls has been extended to Cameroon, to cover the length and breadth of Sambisa, forest believed to be housing Boko Haram camps.
