Our Hearts Are With The Families Of The Abducted Chibok Girls - UK Calls For Their Release

The British Government has called on the terrorist group, Boko Haram, to release the remaining Chibok schoolgirls and others in its custody.

The United Kingdom Foreign Office Minister, Tobias Ellwood and his International Development Minister, James Wharton, said during the third anniversary of the girls that their government remained committed to supporting Nigeria in its fight against terrorism

In a statement issued on Friday on the FCO website, the ministers said, “Our thoughts are with the Chibok girls who remain missing, their families and all those abducted by Boko Haram. We are working side by side with Nigeria in the fight against Boko Haram and call for the release of all those who have been taken.

“During our visits to Nigeria last year, we heard how people’s lives have been devastated by Boko Haram. We are committed to supporting Nigeria in the fight against these barbaric terrorists. More than 22,500 Nigeria military personnel have received UK training, with a significant number deployed on counter insurgency operations in north-east Nigeria.”

According to the duo, lasting stability and security requires everyone to work together to address the long-term causes of the Boko Haram conflict. They added that the empowerment of women and girls must be at the heart of the process.

“The UK was one of the first to respond to the humanitarian crisis in North-East Nigeria, and continues to reach millions of people who have been forced from their homes with lifesaving support to improve education, nutrition and basic health services to stop people dying from starvation and hunger,” Ellwood and Wharton said.

They promised that the UK would not be deterred from supporting Nigeria to tackle violent extremism and build peace in the North-East.

Meanwhile, the UK said it had contributed £5 million to the Multi National Joint Task Force, a regional force against Boko Haram, comprised of troops from Nigeria, Niger, Cameroon, Chad and Benin.

“Last year, we provided £74 million for emergency food, shelter and health care for hundreds of thousands of people displaced by Boko Haram’s violent insurgency. Also, the Department for International Development significantly increased its humanitarian support: from £1m in 2014 to £74m last year,” it said.

Punch