Chibok abduction: UN pledges support

The UN has promised a support package to ensure the release of the abducted schoolgirls in Chibok, Borno State and to deal with the larger issues arising from the abduction.

Said Djinnit, UN Secretary General Special Representative on the Abduction of the Chibok Schoolgirls, disclosed this during consultations with the Presidential Fact-finding Committee on the Abduction.

A statement issued on Sunday by the spokesperson of the Presidential Committee, Mr. Kingsley Osadolor, stated that the UN promised to go beyond the outrage and global condemnation of the abduction.

The statement quoted the UN as promising to assist the Fact-finding Committee with the UN wide-ranging expertise and experience in fact-finding missions.

Djinnit, an Algerian and also the UN Secretary General Special Representative (Political) for West Africa said that the UN cared about Nigeria.

The statement further quoted Djinnit as saying, “the UN will highly support the multi-dimensional approach of President Goodluck Jonathan in solving the problems in the North-East of the country.

“The people of Nigeria should be in full solidarity with the government in solving the current challenges.’’

Djinnit also expressed happiness that the Federal Government co-opted the UN into the Presidential Fact-finding Committee.

The UN is being represented in the Presidential Committee by Mr Daouda Toure, the Head of the UN agencies in Nigeria.

The statement said that the Fact-finding Committee Chairman, retired Brig-Gen. Ibrahim Sabo, informed the UN Special Representative that the committee was neither a judicial nor administrative panel, but a fact-finding committee with clear terms of reference.

It said quoted Sabo as explaining that the committee had held a series of consultations with various contact persons, including security, defence and intelligence agencies