MINISTER APPEALS AGAINST COMMENTS THAT CAN JEOPARDIZE RELEASE OF REMAINING CHIBOK GIRLS

The Minister of Information and Culture, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, has
appealed to commentators and analysts to refrain
from making statements that can jeopardize the release of the Chibok
girls who are still in captivity.

The Minister made the appeal on Sunday in Abuja at a special
thanksgiving Church Service and reunion of the 21 girls
with their families.

“They are many reckless analysts and commentators who are not helping
the situation. We still have many of our children
in captivity. Therefore we have to be careful with the kind of
comments that we make. We must not make comments that
will make the release of these girls difficult or impossible,” he said.

Alhaji Mohammed, who quoted from the Scriptures (Those who are with us
are more than those who are with them), said
those who doubted the sincerity and commitment of the present
administration to the safe release and the reunion of the
abducted Chibok girls with their parents were disappointed.

“When the President said that the Boko Haram saga will not be closed
until all the girls abducted have been released and
reunited with their families safely, those who doubted did not believe
us so we thank God this day has come,” he said.

Alhaji Mohammed appealed to the parents of the girls who are yet to be
freed to continue to exercise patience, saying “This
is the beginning and we are very optimistic that very soon another
batch bigger than this will be released. I want to assure
you that these negotiations are ongoing even as we speak.”

The Chairman of the Parents of the Abducted Chibok School Girls,
Yakubu Nkeki, re-echoed the Minister’s plea by appealing
to the people to stop spreading rumours, particularly on the Social
Media, that will put the lives of the girls at risk.

He debunked some reports alleging that 18 of the 21 free girls are
pregnant even as he denied that the girls were radicalized
by Boko Haram.

Mr. Nkeki thanked President Buhari for summoning the courage and the
political will that eventually led to the release of the
abducted girls.

In her testimony, the spokesperson of the released girls, Miss Gloria
Dame, who recalled their ordeal in captivity, thanked God
and all those who made their safe release and reunion with their
families possible.

Miss Dame, who spoke in Hausa, prayed that God will ensure the safe
release of the other girls still in captivity.

“We never thought we will ever see this moment but God has made it
possible for us. I want to appeal to all of us to fast and pray for
the safe release of those left behind,” she said.

Dr. Shiktra Kwali, who delivered the sermon at the thanksgiving
service, told the girls that as they start a new life in freedom, they
should not allow the experience of the past to weigh them down, and
urged them to remain steadfast in serving the Lord, who has
not forsaken them even in captivity.

Several ministers of God, including the President of the Church of
Brethren in Nigeria (EYN), Reverend Joel Bilili, offered prayers for
the
girls.

The high-point of the occasion was the reunion between the parents and
their daughters. Tears flowed freely as parents took turns to
identify their daughters, while one woman simply carried her daughter
on her back in happiness.

The ceremony ended with an identification parade, as each of the freed
girls identified her parents who in turn made brief comments, with
many of them praising President Muhammadu Buhari for ensuring the safe
release of the girls