Parents Of Abducted Chibok Girls ShunMeeting With Jonathan

A meeting scheduled between President
Goodluck Jonathan and parents of the
abducted Chibok girls, yesterday, could not
hold as the parents shunned the meeting.

The meeting was arranged after education
activist and a victim of terrorist attack, Malala
Yousofazai, met with President Jonathan on
Monday and pleaded with the president to
meet with the parents of the abducted girls to
encourage them.

Jonathan, in a statement delivered by his
Senior Special Assistant on Public Affairs, Dr
Doyin Okupe, accused the #BringBackOurGirls
activists of politicising the planned meeting by
ferreting the parents out of Abuja before the
meeting could hold.
Every arrangement had been made for the
planned meeting with president, including
sending a bus from the Presidential Villa to
bring the parents of the girls.
The President’s statement reads: “It now
appears that our fight to get the girls of Chibok
back is not only a fight against a terrorist
insurgency, but also against a political
opposition.

“It is with great regret that I announce the
cancellation of the meeting with 12 parents of
the abducted Chibock children, as well as five
of the brave girls who escaped from the
terrorist organisation, Boko Haram.
“I scheduled this meeting, which was to be
open to the media for coverage by Nigerian
and international press, to listen to their stories
and to privately brief the parents and the girls
on our efforts to rescue the abducted girls. My
priority is not politics. My priority is the return
of these girls.
“Unfortunately, political forces within the
Nigerian chapter of BringBackOurGirls have
decided to take this opportunity to play politics
with the situation and the grief of the parents
and the girls. They should be ashamed of their
actions.
“Those who would manipulate the victims of
terrorism for their own benefit, are engaging in
a similar kind of evil: psychological terrorism.
“I want to be clear, this government stands
with complete solidarity with the girls and their
parents. We are doing everything in our power
to bring back our girls. Despite the shameful
and disgusting games being played by the
Nigerian chapter of BringBackOurGirls, as a
father of girls, I stand ready to meet with the
parents of our abducted children and the truly
brave girls that have escaped this nightmare
through the grace of God.”