Updates: Names of 180 abducted girls, 165 girls are christians

AMID the growing controversy on the number of girls abducted from the government school in Chibok, Borno State, the Northern States Christian and Elders Forum (NOCSEF) released yesterday 180 names of the April 15 incident’s victims.

In a statement issued by President/Founder of Old Time Revival Hour, Kaduna and immediate past chairman of NNOCSEF, an affiliate of the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN), Evangelist Matthew Owojaiye, the organisation said: “Chibok Local Government is 90 per cent Christian. Majority of the girls abducted are Christian. Why did Boko Haram visit Chibok Local Government? Why didn’t they visit so many other Local Government Girls Secondary Schools in Borno State?”

The statement urged Christians to fight the Boko Haram insurgency with prayers.

It said: “The Church in Nigeria is hereby called to a lamentation prayer.

“Every Christian home must raise a lamentation to heaven daily. Let God arise and defend His name, honour and majesty.

“Let a 15 minutes cry to heaven be done in every Church every time they gather. Oh God, rend the heavens and come down! Why should the people say where is our God?

“The list is only of Christian girls. The others were not immediately known. Parent claimed that 234 girls are missing.

“The military may not be able to solve the problem but prayer will. Ordinary military force may not get them out. Intensive agonising prayer will.”

NOCSEF made three demands. They are:

•N50million damages as trauma compensation to each girl;

•overseas university scholarship for each of the girls by September.

•transfer of SS1 and SS2 girls in that school to other schools

The government is not negotiating with Boko Haram on the release of the abducted Chibok girls, President Goodluck Jonathan said last night.

According to him, the government could not have been negotiating with “faceless” people.

Dr. Jonathan spoke in a Media Chat from the Presidential Villa, broadcast on national television.

The President promised parents, guardians and Nigerians that the government would rescue all the abducted girls.

“We sympathise with parents and guardians of these girls,” he said, adding that the kidnapping of the innocent girls is painful and urged their parents and guardians to cooperate with security agencies to secure the girls’ freedom.

He said the Federal Government was discussing with neighbouring countries  Benin Republic, Chad, Niger and those in the North-African sub-continent – to secure the girls’ release.

The President expressed satisfaction with the efforts of the security agencies, noting that the activities of the terrorists were being checked across the country.

Jonathan noted no group had claimed responsibility for the abduction.

He described the girls’ kidnap and the Nyanya bomb blast as “worrisome”. He assured Nigerians that no stone would be left unturned to rescue the girls.

Making reference to the missing Malaysian flight MH370, Jonathan said the girls’ disappearance cannot be another unresolved mystery. He dismissed allegations that the girls were been ferried abroad and married off, saying ‘‘they must still be within this area”.

Said Jonathan: ‘‘Nigerians are justified to express anger and frustration, but we will continue to do our best. Since 11:45pm of April 15 that the girls were kidnapped, security personnel have been combing everywhere. Aircraft have been deployed to scan, soldiers have combed several places but yet we have not seen them.

‘‘Nigerians have not felt the efforts being made by security agencies because the misfortune happened in Borno, which has highest concentration of Boko Haram terrorists. Wherever the girls are, we will get them.

‘‘The incident is painful and traumatising. I extend sympathies to the parents and guardians of the girls but I want to also request their cooperation with security agencies. They have not been very cooperative; that is why the agencies have not been able to get clear identities (of the girls).

‘‘The police have record of 44 returned girls while the principal during my meeting with them, said 53 girls have returned,’’ he said.

Asked if security agencies were unfit to tackle challenges facing the nation, Jonathan said they were capable, just as he acknowledged there was room for improvement.

He said the government had attended to the need for the recruitment and training of more soldiers into the military to curb insurgency, adding that the security agencies needed to be adequately equipped.

Jonathan urged Nigerians to desist from criticising the security agencies, who he said they should support because terrorism is not a conventional war.

He acknowledged the support received from the international community, but urged them to avail Nigeria with equipment for intelligence gathering.

On allegations that helicopters were used to supply materials to Boko Haram, Jonathan said: ‘‘We are playing politics with serious national security issues. Nobody has shown us a clip of the helicopter nor have they said the exact location where the supplies were being made.’’

The president said Nigeria was hit by terrorism because it is the centre of the black race and its economy.

He described the state of emergency declared in Borno, Yobe and Adamawa as “effective”, saying the government was consulting and would extend the rule should the need arise.

Asked how the government was checking illegal immigrants to curb terrorism, Jonathan said actions were being taken but with caution because Nigeria is among the world’s worst migration offenders.

On the government’s closure of public offices in Abuja for the World Economic Summit, Jonathan said it was to ease mobility and save the residents from long hours of traffic since many world leaders would attend the session.

He said the summit would attract investors to the country and by extension, create jobs.

However, the President said essential services and public utilities would be made available, urging Abuja residents to bear with the government.

Jonathan evaded questions on his second term ambition. He said Nigerians should concern themselves more with how security and the economy could be improved between now and May 29, 2015 and not with his ambition.

The President also denied there was any plan to increase petrol pump price, saying any marketer or filling station selling above the N97 was committing a criminal offence and should be arrested.

Jonathan denied saying Boko Haram had infiltrated his cabinet. He said he never mentioned his “cabinet” but said the “government”, adding that ‘‘government is wide and people were investigated and are still being investigated’’.

On poor electricity supply, he said the country’s major challenge was gas supply, but expressed hope that privatisation would boost supply.

On employment, Jonathan said government’s target was to provide an enabling environment as it cannot create jobs for all Nigerians.

In order to tackle the security challenges the President said he had been talking to foreign powers like the United States, United Kingdom and China requesting them to assist Nigeria in stemming the menace of terrorism.

“I feel pain when I hear that Nigerians die because of Boko Haram madness, this thing cannot go on. The foreign countries have been helping in one way or the other.”

He said most of the communities suspected to be the hideouts of the captors cannot be located by the military.

On the effectiveness of the State of Emergency in the three states, Jonathan said the declaration of state of emergency does not mean that people in the states should be wiped out.

“The people who are criticising state of emergency are doing so probably out of frustration or because they think it is taking too long.”

On the N10 billion allegedly spent by the Minister of Petroleum Resources Mrs Diezani Allison-Madueke, on private jet for her personal use, the president said given the nature of the job of the minister, the ministry is entitled to hire a jet for effective performance.

He said the House of Representatives had politicised the matter, noting that the House is turning into “parliamentary dictatorship”.

The President frowned at the frequent invitation of ministers by the National Assembly such that the minister spend a lot of time appearing before legislative committees to the detriment of their official duties.

Commenting on the scarcity and increase in fuel price, the president said there is no plan to change pump price.

“I cannot increase pump price through the backdoor, if I have to do it, I will make it public even if it will cost me my job. If someone manipulates pump price to punish Nigerians, he is a criminal.”

The President expressed optimism that privatization of power sector in the country would lead to better and stable power supply.

He said the critical problem facing the sector is lack of adequate gas supply for the generation of power. He said government is looking for money to meet the need of the sector to boost power generation .

THE MISSING CHIBOK GIRLS.

1 Deborah Abge

2. Awa Abge

3. Hauwa Yirma

4. Asabe Manu

5. Mwa Malam pogu

6. Patiant Dzakwa

7. Saraya Mal. Stover

8. Mary Dauda

9. Gloria Mainta

10. Hanatu Ishaku

11. Gloria Dama

12. Tabitha Pogu

13. Maifa Dama

14. Ruth kollo

15. Esther Usman

16. Awa James

17. Anthonia Yahonna

18. Kume Mutah

19. Aisha Ezekial

20. Nguba Buba

21. Kwanta Simon

22. Kummai Aboku

23. Esther Markus

24. Hana Stephen

25. Rifkatu Amos

26. Rebecca Mallum

27. Blessing Abana

28. Ladi Wadai

29. Tabitha Hyelampa

30. Ruth Ngladar

31. Safiya Abdu

32. Na’omi Yahonna

33. Solomi Titus

34. Rhoda John

35. Rebecca Kabu

36. Christy Yahi

37. Rebecca Luka

38. Laraba John

39 Saratu Markus

40. Mary Usman

41 Debora Yahonna

42. Naomi Zakaria

43 Hanatu Musa

44. Hauwa Tella

45. Juliana Yakubu

46. Suzana Yakubu

47. Saraya Paul

48. Jummai Paul

49. Mary Sule

50. Jummai John

51. Yanke Shittima

52. Muli Waligam

53. Fatima Tabji

54. Eli Joseph

55. Saratu Emmanuel

56. Deborah Peter

57. Rahila Bitrus

58. Luggwa Sanda

59. Kauna Lalai

60. Lydia Emmar

61. Laraba Maman

62. Hauwa Isuwa

63. Confort Habila

64. Hauwa Abdu

65. Hauwa Balti

66. Yana Joshua

67. Laraba Paul

68. Saraya Amos

69. Glory Yaga

70. Na’omi Bitrus

71. Godiya Bitrus

72. Awa Bitrus

73. Na’omi Luka

74. Maryamu Lawan

75. Tabitha Silas

76. Mary Yahona

77. Ladi Joel

78. Rejoice Sanki

79. Luggwa Samuel

80. Comfort Amos

81. Saraya Samuel

82. Sicker Abdul

83. Talata Daniel

84. Rejoice Musa

85. Deborah Abari

86. Salomi Pogu

87. Mary Amor

88. Ruth Joshua

89. Esther John

90. Esther Ayuba

91. Maryamu Yakubu

91. Zara Ishaku

93. Maryamu Wavi

94. Lydia Habila

95. Laraba Yahonna

96. Na’omi Bitrus

97. Rahila Yahanna

98. Ruth Lawan

99. Ladi Paul

100. Mary Paul

101. Esther Joshua

102. Helen Musa

103. Margret Watsai

104. Deborah Jafaru

105. Filo Dauda

106. Febi Haruna

107. Ruth Ishaku

108. Racheal Nkeki

109. Rifkatu Soloman

110. Mairama yahaya

111. Saratu Dauda

112. Jinkai Yama

113. Margret Shettima

114. Yana yidau

115. Grace Paul

116. Amina Ali

117. Palmata Musa

118. Awagana Musa

119. Pindar Nuhu

120. Yana Pogu

121. Saraya Musa

122. Hauwa Joseph

123. Hauwa kwakwi

125. Hauwa Musa

126. Maryamu Musa

127. Maimuna Usman

128. Rebeca Joseph

129. Liyatu Habitu

130. Rifkatu Yakubu

131. Naomi Philimon

132. Deborah Abbas

133. Ladi Ibrahim

134. Asabe Ali

135. Maryamu Bulama

136. Ruth Amos

137. Mary Ali

138. Abigail Bukar

139. Deborah Amos

140. Saraya Yanga

141. Kauna Luka

142. Christiana Bitrus

143. Yana Bukar

144. Hauwa peter

145. Hadiza Yakubu

146. Lydia Simon

147. Ruth Bitrus

148. Mary Yakubu

149. Lugwa Mutah

150 . Muwa Daniel

151. Hanatu Nuhu

152. Monica Enoch

153. Margret Yama

154. Docas yakubu

155. Rhoda peter

156. Rifkatu Galang

157. Saratu Ayuba

158. Naomi Adamu

159. Hauwa Ishaya

160. Rahap Ibrahim

162. Deborah Soloman

163. Hauwa Mutah

164. Hauwa Takai

165. Serah Samuel

Muslim Girls

166. Aishatu Musa

167. Aishatu Grema

168. Hauwa Nkeki

169. Hamsatu Abubakar

170. Mairama Abubakar

171 Hauwa Wule

172. Ihyi Abdu

173. Hasana Adamu

174. Rakiya Kwamtah

175. Halima Gamba

176. Aisha Lawan

177. Kabu Malla

178. Yayi Abana

179. Falta Lawan

180. Kwadugu Manu

Updates: Names of 180 abducted girls, 165 girls are christians