Fashola to Borno indigenes: Let’s be hopeful abducted girls’ll return

The Lagos State Governor, Babatunde Fashola (SAN), on Monday received members of the Kibaku Youth Association based in Lagos State on a peaceful protest over the abduction of pupils in a government school in Chibok, Borno State, urging everyone to continue to be hopeful that a peaceful solution would be found to the problem.
The governor, who spoke at the Banquet Hall of the Lagos House, Ikeja, while receiving the group, who are of the Chibok ethnic stock of Borno State based in Lagos, said there is no time to seek peace in the country more than now, maintaining that it is only in an atmosphere of peace that the nation can focus on the way forward.
While describing the activities of the abductors as a demonstration of extreme violent conduct against innocent children, Fashola urged the aggrieved men and women to continue to keep the peace as they have been doing.
He gave a commitment that he would forward their letter of protest to President Goodluck Jonathan immediately and that if indeed the security agencies have been reluctant in swooping on the hideout of the abductors, it must be for safety reason not to increase casualty figure and not because of lack of capacity.
He also explained that since the criminal attacks on Borno State started and in fairness, his Borno State counterpart, Alhaji Kashim Shettima, has shown a lot of courage and determination to confront the crisis headlong.
Fashola noted that the words of the protesters bear testimony to the sense of compassion they have for their fellow men.
He described hostage taking of any kind as unthinkable and dehumanizing, reiterating that one can only encourage the parents of the affected children not to give up.
According to the governor, the kind of shock and fear that the girls would be experiencing currently is better imagined than experienced and any set of people who abduct girls and set buildings ablaze for whatever reasons are people who have lost their sense of humanity.
Speaking earlier, the Legal Adviser of the group, Minda Yahaya Chiwan, said the group, which is made up of professionals from Chibok based in Lagos, were at the Lagos House to express their concerns and grievance about the abduction of the school girls from Chibok Government Secondary School.
Chiwan said the group decided to bring the letter of protest meant for President Jonathan to Governor Fashola because of the commitment that he has shown to the issue of security and because they believe he would convey their message rightly to the President.
Chiwan said the elders of Chibok also decided to embark on self help in search of the missing girls, who have been abducted since the past two weeks but were advised not to advance to the Sambissa forest where the girls are believed to be kept for security reasons.
Fashola was joined in receiving the protesters, who bore several placards, by the Commissioner for Education, Olayinka Oladunjoye; the Attorney General and Commissioner for Justice, Ade Ipaiye; the Commissioner for Science and Technology, Adebiyi Mabadeje; and the Commissioner for Home Affairs and Culture, Hon. Oyinlomo Danmole.