The Senate is seeking the unconditional release of over 1,000 Boko Haram detainees in exchange for Chibok girls and other abductees still yet to be rescued from the sect.
This was made known on Tuesday during plenary through the leader of the Senate, Senator Ali Ndume, who said no fewer than 1,000 persons were in Boko Haram’s captivity.
The upper chamber of the National Assembly, while thanking those who negotiated the release of the 21 Chibok girls, noted that a large number of abductions by the sect were not reported, adding that the negotiators should look beyond the Chibok girls to rescue more victims.
He said, “The 219 girls are not the only girls that were abducted. Their number is not known but there are more than 1,000 of them, I can bet on that. Some of them have gone unnoticed; some of them are missing; some of them, only God knows where they are and in what condition they have found themselves.”
Senator Abiodun Olujimi (Ekiti-South), who supported Ndume’s motion, called on all stakeholders to work towards securing the release of all abductees.
She said, “Like the Leader said, there are so many other girls who have gone unnoticed and are still there in Sambisa and elsewhere. We believe that they should not be left to their fate. And it is not only the Chibok girls that are most important but all Nigerians that have been captured by Boko Haram.”