President Muhammadu Buhari has been urged Chibok girls parents to pay additional ransom so that other girls still being held by Boko Haram could be released.
They made the appeal on Saturday night following a report by the British Broadcasting Corporation that the Federal Government had to cough up at least €2m to get the 82 girls released.
The parents who spoke with newsmen said money should not be a problem with the government in rescuing the remaining girls.
According to them, no amount of money will be too much to give Boko Haram in exchange for the girls.
One of the Chibok girls’ parent, whose two daughters have yet to be rescued, Rev. Enoch Mark, said, “The government should do anything they can to bring back our daughters – even if it means they have to pay to get them back. My daughters are not among the rescued girls.”
Another parent, Yana Galang, said, “I am still in Abuja. My daughter is not among them. The government should assist us and secure the release of more girls by all means. We are happy. We are grateful for their efforts so far.”
Secretary of the Chibok Girls’ Parents’ Association, Mr. Zanna Lawan, told newsmen that the Chibok community did not have the prerogative to tell the Federal Government how to rescue the remaining Chibok girls, paying more ransom wasn’t out of place.
Lawan said, “We thank the Federal Government and the military. We also want to beg the government of President Muhammadu Buhari that if it is money that will bring back our remaining girls, they should use it to free them from Boko Haram custody.”
Yakubu Mutah, whose daughter is still among those held by the terrorist group, told one of our correspondents that he was certain the Federal Government would do the needful.
He stated, “We cannot force the government to pay for the release of the remaining girls. We can only beg them to use all the resources in their possession to bring back our girls, be it money or any other thing.”
For Goni Mutah Pana, whose daughter is among those recently released by Boko Haram, the Buhari administration should stop at nothing to get other girls back.
Another Chibok parent, who begged not to be named, said she does not care what the federal government does to ensure the release of the rest Chibok girls, as long as she would see her daughter again. “If it was one of their daughters that was kidnapped, will they be asking about what needs to be done? All I want is to have my daughter back,” the distraught mother said.