The Presidency has disowned a journalist, Ahmed Salkida, who claimed in his tweets yesterday that only 15 out of the remaining 113 Chibok schoolgirls, believed to be with their Boko Haram abductors, are alive.
The Senior Special Assistant to the President on Media and Publicity, Malam Garba Shehu, said in a statement yesterday that Salkida’s information was unknown to the federal government.
Shehu said available facts indicated that all the remaining girls in the captivity of the Boko Haram terrorists who abducted them were alive.
He stated: “Following the numerous press enquiries on the information contained in the series of tweets by Mr Ahmed Salkida, we wish to reiterate that the information is not known to the officials of this administration either from the captors of the Chibok girls or the international intercessors who are working with us.”
Shehu said Salkida was not involved, on behalf of the Nigerian government, in the processes leading to the release of the over 100 Chibok Girls that had returned to their families so far and was not involved in the current processes to secure the release of those still held in captivity.
“If there is any information he has concerning the remainder of those girls, he has, up till this moment not approached the government Nigeria with it. All press enquirers on the subject should therefore be directed to Mr. Salkida.
“The facts as known to our officials and the international contacts assisting this process are that the remaining Chibok girls are there and we are not relenting on getting their release.
“As stated by President Muhammadu Buhari on Friday, the government is not relenting. We will continue to persist, and the parents should please not give up. They also advised not to lose faith in this government’s ability to fulfil its promise, that the girls will not be abandoned or forgotten.”
