There were indications yesterday form the reports reaching us that the 230 female students abducted by Boko Haram terrorists from the Government Girls’ Secondary School, GGSS, Chibok, Borno State, have been sited at the Sambisa Forest in Borno State, by the Special Forces of the United States Marines.
The girls who were abducted on April 14, were part of the 250 students boarded at the school for the West African School Certificate, WAEC, Senior Secondary School Certificate, SSSCE, examinations, triggering world-wide condemnations.
More US military officials arrived Nigeria yesterday to join local officials in the search for the schoolgirls taken captives and being reportedly used as sex slaves by the Islamist extremist group, Boko Haram, the US Secretary of State, John Kerry and the defence department, Pentagon, said.
According to Kerry, “Our inter-agency team is hitting the ground in Nigeria now and they are going to be working with President Jonathan’s government to do everything that we possibly can to return these girls.” A news channel also quoted the U.S. Navy Rear Admiral, John Kirby, who serves as Pentagon press secretary, as saying that the small team of seven would join advisers supporting local efforts to find the girls abducted over three weeks ago.
Kerry said the US team, working with the Nigerian government, would do everything possible to free the girls and everything possible to stop the atrocities of Boko Haram. “We are also going to do everything possible to counter the menace of Boko Haram. The entire world should not only be condemning this outrage but should be doing everything possible to help Nigeria in the days ahead,” he added.