The Federal Government is still actively working to secure the release of the remaining Chibok schoolgirls and Leah Sharibu, the National Coordinator of the National Counter Terrorism Centre (NCTC), Maj-Gen. Adamu Garba Laka, said on Tuesday.

 

Speaking during a press briefing in Abuja at the launch of the Anti-Kidnap Fusion Cell’s State Expansion Programme, held in collaboration with the UK National Crime Agency, Gen. Laka reaffirmed that hope remains alive for the rescue of the girls.

 

The abduction of 276 students from the Government Girls Secondary School in Chibok, Borno State, on April 14, 2014, shocked the world. Though many have been rescued or escaped, 87 girls remain in captivity more than a decade later.

 

Similarly, Leah Sharibu and 109 other students were kidnapped from the Government Girls’ Science and Technical College in Dapchi, Yobe State, on February 19, 2018. While most of the Dapchi girls were later freed, Leah remains in captivity for refusing to renounce her Christian faith.

 

Gen. Laka stressed that efforts to free the remaining abductees have not stopped.

“Rescues were done gradually through operations and negotiations,” he explained. “I was in the theatre during the early rescues and witnessed firsthand what the military and intelligence teams did to bring some of the girls back.”

 

He emphasized that attention should also be given to other victims of insurgent kidnappings, including Nigerian aid workers and staff of international organizations like UNICEF, UNHCR, and IOM, many of whom have also been rescued.

 

On Leah Sharibu, Laka said the silence in the media should not be mistaken for neglect.

“We haven’t forgotten. Our efforts are ongoing. By God’s grace, we hope the remaining 87 girls and others will eventually be rescued,” he said.