While fielding questions from state house correspondents yesterday September 6th, Presidential spokesperson, Shehu Garba said efforts are still ongoing towards the rescue of the Chibok girls and that there are better intelligence gathering in that regard. He appealed to Nigerians not to lose hope regarding the rescue of the girls who were abducted on April 14th 2014.
“What the President has always said is that we don’t even know where the girls are and that we need to go in there and get the intelligence and situation of things and then act. Without meaning to endanger what is left of those girls, you know that the Sambissa forest is being degraded right now. The bombing is done in a careful manner to avoid certain locations of interest as far as Chibok girls are concerned. Please take note of what I am saying. I am not saying that the girls are here or there. But there is better intelligence now. In fact, Sambissa forest is under observation 24 hours, in case somebody decides to move those girls from point A to point B. If there is any movement that is suspicious, we have drones, unmanned aircraft that fly around the place at night and during the day. In the last few days, you even saw the Chief of Army Staff leading the troops and I am aware that in the last few weeks, very interesting pictures have been sent to the President on the basis of which we will say to Nigerians, ‘don’t lose hope on the Chibok girls. I am not saying they have been found or that they have been seen. But it is not yet time for Nigerians to say we have lost them”he said