Newly-appointed United Nations Secretary General Special Representative on the Abduction of the Chibok Schoolgirls, Ambassador Said Djinnit, has held consultations with the Presidential Fact-finding Committee on the Abduction, pledging support of the UN in the search and rescue of the kidnapped schoolgirls.
Djinnit, who is also the UN Secretary General Special Representative (Political) for West Africa, said that beyond the outrage and global condemnation of the abduction, the United Nations Secretary General, Ban Ki Moon, was interested in a support package to ensure the release of the schoolgirls, and to deal with the larger issues arising from the circumstances of the abduction.
“We care about Nigeria. We highly support the multi-dimensional approach of President Goodluck Jonathan in solving the problems in the North-East of the country,” he said.
“The people of Nigeria should be in full solidarity with the government in solving the current challenges,” he added.
Djinnit, an Algerian, expressed happiness that the Federal Government co-opted the UN into the Presidential Fact-finding Committee. The UN is being represented by Mr Daouda Toure, head of the UN agencies in Nigeria.
Responding, the Fact-finding Committee Chairman, Brig-Gen. Ibrahim Sabo (rtd), 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.
Gen. Sabo (rtd) explained that the Committee has held a series of consultations with various contact persons, including security, defence, and intelligence agencies.
He welcomed the offer of the UN Special Representative to assist the Fact-finding Committee with the UN wide-ranging expertise and experience in fact-finding mission, Kingsley Osadolor, Media Officer to the Committee stated.