Nigerian President Orders Fresh Investigation in Chibok Kidnappings of 219 Girls

Michelle Obama Holds Up Sign For Chibok Girls
First Lady Michelle Obama holding up a sign with the hashtag "#bringbackourgirls" in support of the campaign demanding the release of the 270 girls who were kidnapped in April of 2014. |

Nigerian President Muhammadu Buhari has promised to launch a fresh investigation to know the whereabouts of the 219 girls kidnapped from Chibok school by Boko Haram in 2014.

Parents of the kidnapped girls marched to the presidential complex to protest for government action and meet with the president.

"I assure you that I go to bed and wake up every day with the Chibok girls on my mind," Buhari said in the statement after meeting with the parents.

"Securing the Chibok girls is my responsibility. The service chiefs and heads of our security agencies will tell you that in spite of the dire financial straints that we found the country in, I continue to do my best to support their efforts in that regard."

In April 2014, the militants attacked a girls' school and captured the 270 girls, but about 50 girls managed to escape as they were loading the girls in the waiting vehicles.

About 17,000 people have died by Boko Haram perpetrated violence since 2009, and millions were displaced from their homes.

A campaign with the slogan, "Bring Back Our Girls," was started to gather national and international support to build up government and military resources to rescue the girls.

The chief of defense staff General Gabriel Olonisakin who was present with the president during the meeting with parents said that the military can raid the hideouts where the girls are held captive but he said that they have to be cautious with intelligence so that they don't "do anything to jeopardize the lives of the girls."

The president also said that they will investigate how the kidnappings happened, and what actions government took or failed to take to rescue the girls.

"The investigation will seek to, among other things, unravel the remote and immediate circumstances leading to the kidnap of the girls by Boko Haram terrorists as well the other events, actions and inactions that followed the incident," the statement from the president said.

Oby Ezekwesili, former education minister, who also leads the Bring Back Our Girls campaign said that the president informed them that they have not been able to collect "reliable intelligence that would enable them to rescue the girls as immediately as we are demanding".

After becoming president, Buhari made significant changes in the military and stepped up military efforts against the militants, and last month announced that the terrorists were "technically" defeated, even though there have been continued attacks from the group.

Buhari said that the government is open to negotiate with Boko Haram for the release of the girls, as they were reportedly demanding imprisoned members in exchange for the girls, but the administration was not able to single out members to talk as the leadership in the militant group seems to be falling apart.