THE Federal Government has reaffirmed its unwavering commitment to securing the release of the remaining Chibok schoolgirls and Leah Sharibu, assuring Nigerians that the girls remain a priority despite the passage of years.
News Point Nigeria reports that Eleven years after Boko Haram’s mass abduction of 276 students from Government Girls Secondary School, Chibok, Borno State, 87 girls are still believed to be in captivity.
Likewise, Leah Sharibu, abducted in February 2018 alongside 109 other schoolgirls from Government Girls’ Science and Technical College, Dapchi remains in Boko Haram custody after reportedly refusing to renounce her Christian faith.
While her classmates were released, Leah remains a tragic symbol of state vulnerability.
Speaking on Tuesday in Abuja at a multi-agency meeting on anti-kidnapping, held in collaboration with the UK’s National Crime Agency, the National Coordinator of the National Counter Terrorism Centre (NCTC), Major General Adamu Laka, assured the public that efforts to free the girls are still very much active.
“Since their abduction, the rescue process has been gradual. It involved negotiations, covert operations, and persistent intelligence work,” Laka said.
“I was in the theatre of operations shortly after the Chibok abductions, and I can personally attest to the commitment of military and intelligence agencies to rescuing the girls.”
He emphasized that while some girls have escaped or been rescued over the years, the mission is ongoing.
“We haven’t given up. Some of the girls were forced into marriage with insurgents, but several have since come out. The silence in the media doesn’t mean we’ve forgotten. There are also humanitarian workers, Nigerians, who were kidnapped and have been rescued. Our operations go beyond just the Chibok case.”
Touching on Leah Sharibu’s situation, Laka dismissed the perception that public silence equates to government inaction.
“The fact that her name isn’t in the headlines daily doesn’t mean we aren’t working. We’re on it. Our prayer remains that by the grace of God, the remaining 80-plus girls will return home.”
Laka also gave an update on the activities of the Multi-Agency Anti-Kidnap Fusion Cell established at the NCTC. The centre, inaugurated in December 2024 by National Security Adviser Nuhu Ribadu, has become a central hub for intelligence gathering and operational coordination in response to kidnapping.
He noted that a state-level expansion initiative has been launched to enhance local intelligence. Under this programme, liaison officers from the Nigeria Police Force and the Department of State Services (DSS) are being deployed across all 36 states and the FCT.
“The goal is to bridge the gap between national coordination and local response,” Laka explained.
“With these deployments, we ensure real-time intelligence feeds from field operatives directly influence national-level decision-making and strategy.”
The government, he stressed, remains committed to protecting citizens and ending the scourge of mass abductions, even as it continues behind-the-scenes efforts to bring closure to the families of the Chibok and Dapchi victims.