Buhari asks UN to mediate in Release of Chibok girls'

President Muhammadu Buhari has asked the United Nations (UN) Secretary-General, Ban Ki-moon, to facilitate the medi­ation between Nigeria and the Boko Haram sect for the release of the abducted Chibok school­girls.

The terrorist group is de­manding that the Federal Gov­ernment frees its detained fight­ers in exchange for the over 200 schoolgirls kidnapped in April 14, 2014, a condition the government has accepted only if it establish­es the genuine leadership of the group and the safety of the girls.

Speaking at a bilateral meet­ing with the UN scribe on the sidelines of the 71st UN Gener­al Assembly in New York, Buhari said his administration was will­ing to bend over backwards just to get the Chibok girls released safely.

His words: “The challenge is in getting credible and bona fide leadership of Boko Haram to dis­cuss with. The split in the insur­gent group is not helping mat­ters. Government had reached out, ready to negotiate, but it be­came difficult to identify credi­ble leaders. We will welcome in­termediaries such as UN outfits to step in.”

The President reiterated that the teachings of Boko Haram were far from being Islamic, as neither Islam, nor any other reli­gion, advocates hurting the weak and innocent.

“The fact that they kill men, women, children, and other peo­ple wantonly, and shout Allahu Akbar (God is great) shows that they do not know that Allah at all. If they did, they would not shed innocent blood,” the president pointed out.

He thanked Ban Ki-moon for the moral and material support given to Nigeria, which has ena­bled the country surmount many of the challenges facing her.

In his response, the UN Sec­retary-General congratulated President Buhari on the anti-cor­ruption war.

“You are highly respected by world leaders, including my­self. Your persona has given your country a positive image,” the UN scribe told Buhari.

He said the UN recognised the achievements of the Buhari administration against Boko Har­am, but urged that human rights be upheld always to prevent a re­peat of the scenario being wit­nessed in Syria.

Ki-moon thanked Buha­ri for his commitment to issues on climate change, adding that the government should “own the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs),” for the good of Nigeri­ans.