Presidency speaks on new Boko Haram video
The Nigerian President, Muhammadu Buhari, has described as disturbing a new video released by Boko Haram, showing captives calling for urgent action to secure their release.
On Thursday, a video went viral depicting one Grace Taku, an aid worker kidnapped by Boko Haram insurgents crying for help and saying that Leah Sharibu had been killed.
Taku said Sharibu was killed because Buhari’s administration failed to “do something”.
But in its reaction to the video, the Presidency said urgent efforts must be made to secure the release of the captives, including Leah Sharibu and the last of the Dapchi schoolgirls still being held by the terrorist group.
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In a statement by the Senior Special Assistant to the President on Media and Publicity, Mr. Garba Shehu, the federal government noted that the captives included humanitarian aid workers and a religious leader.
It stated, “The Presidency has been briefed by the responsible government agency about the disturbing video showing our citizens, the humanitarian aid workers held captive.
“Presidency has been given assurances that contact is being made and the captors are being talked to.
“Besides these aid workers, there are some others about whom this engagement is about — Leah Sharibu, a religious leader and all the others.
“These discussions have been ongoing even before this time and what this latest incident has done is to bring urgency to the efforts that the secret service is making.
“Government is making contacts, in the hope that the captors will see a reason to not visit hardship or even harm on these innocent individuals. Government is working.”
Sharibu was among the 112 girls kidnapped from the Girls Technical College, Dapchi, Yobe State by Boko Haram members on February 19, 2018.
