No time limit for returning Chibok girls alive – Presidency

The Nigerian presidency has dismissed concerns over the prolonged abduction of more than 200 schoolgirls from Chibok, Borno State, saying the government has no time limit to return the long-suffering teenagers alive to their families.The message, delivered Monday by a presidential spokesperson, appeared to imply that the government is taking its time to rescue the girls who have been in Boko Haram captivity for nearly nine months.Speaking on Channels TV programme, Sunrise Daily, the Senior Special Assistant to the President on Public Affairs, Doyin Okupe, said the government had no time limit on when the girls should be expected home alive.

“There is no time limit for returning the girls alive,” Mr. Okupe said. “The issue of the Chibok girls is a national tragedy that must be borne with fortitude. Government has not given up on finding and rescuing the girls.Describing the girls’ kidnap as not the regular incident involving the seizure of one or two persons, the presidential spokesperson said the rescue of over 200 girls must be handled with utmost care.“Any mistake will lead to their death. That is why we (the government) are caught between the devil and the deep blue sea,” he said.He cited President Goodluck Jonathan’s visit to Chad’s President Idriss Deby, as an indication of the extent the government would be prepared to go to have the girls back.