Chibok girls: President Jonathan inaugurates fact-finding committee

President Goodluck Jonathan today inaugurated a 30-man

fact-finding committee to look into the rescue of kidnapped

Chibok girls. The committee is expected to speak to the

public at least once a day to keep everyone abreast with

recent developments on the case.

The committee will look into issues surrounding the

abduction of the girls and also consider possible rescue

plans. While inaugurating the committee, the President

said;

"You will agree with me that this is not a committee

that brings joy to me and indeed our country men and

women. However, it is a necessary step which

government must take to confront the sad

circumstances surrounding the abduction of female

students, our daughters in Government Girls

Secondary School, Chibok.

First let me make it very clear – luckily the Minister

of Justice is here – that this committee is neither a

judicial committee nor an administrative committee

to look into the affairs of this incident. No. It is not

administrative panel set up by federal government or

a judicial committee. I must make that very clear

because those are the responsibilities of the state

and not that of the federal government. Continue...

I say so because before you know somebody will go to

court and say that federal government is interloping in an

area which is supposed to be an exclusive preserve of the

state. The operation of the security and intelligence

services will continue to intensify till our daughters are

rescued and brought safely home to their families. Rather

this committee will be primarily concern with providing

public interface with all directly concerned in this tragedy,

in order to provide a well-coordinated citizens input into

the overall investigations.The whole world is watching you

because that is why we made sure that an information

officer is attached to you. Because I believe you will be

speaking to the world every six hours or at least once a

day as to the progress of the committee. I am appreciative

of the fact that this sad incident has attracted global

outrage. This is a clear testimony to the fact that humanity

can come together and stand as one against evil no matter

how it is presented. This is the time when we must dwell

together beyond all political, religious or regional divide

against our common enemy. We must remain vigilant and

be ready to assist security agencies and authorities at all

time,” he said.

Chairman of the Committee, Rtd. Gen. Ibrahim Sabo

pledged that himself and the other members will do their

best. Members invited from Borno state and the UN were

absent at the inauguration.

Members of the committee include two representatives of

the National Council of Women Societies, NCWS); two

female representatives, Nigeria Conference of Principals of

Secondary Schools, ANCOPSS; two representatives of the

national members of Parents Teachers Association; two

representatives of the Nigeria Police, and two

representatives of the State Security Service.

Others are two representatives of the Nigerian Army, two

representatives of the Nigeria Union of Journalists, NUJ,

one representative of the Federal Ministry of Information

(who would be the Committees’ Spokesperson), and one

Representative of the Federal Ministry of Justice as well as

three Representatives of the Borno State Government (two

of whom, preferably, shall be women), one Representative

of the United Nations, one Representative of ECOWAS (who

shall be a woman) and the Permanent Secretary (Special

Services Office) who shall be the Secretary of the

Committee.