Catholic archbishop urges post-rescue plans for abducted Chibok schoolgirls

As the Nigerian government battles with the pressures to secure the release of over-200 schoolgirls abducted by the dreaded Islamist Boko Haram sect from the Government Girls Secondary School, Chibok, Borno state last month, the head of the Ibadan archdiocese of the Catholic Church, Gabriel Abegunrin, has called for a carefully designed post-rescue plans for the victims.

The clergy, who spoke during a dinner with journalists in Ibadan on Tuesday, said a comprehensive plan to ensure proper rehabilitation and reintegration of the abducted girls are as much important as ensuring their release from the den of the Islamist fundamentalists.

 “After securing the release of the girls, we need to do more by ensuring that their lives become better. The girls have already been traumatized. Some of them may have already lost hope in Nigeria for failing to prevent their abduction.

“The government and all Nigerians must work together to reunited and reintegrated them to the system. They must also be given adequate education to restore their hope in the country,” the Archbishop said.

Abegunrin added that, as a body, the Catholic Church is praying fervently for quick release of the girl, saying earlier the mission was completed the better for the victims and the nation.

Since the girls were abducted by the militants early April, the Nigerian government has been under intense pressure to secure their release.

The developed nations, including the United State, Britain, Germany, China , among others have offered military assistance, while countries sharing borders with Nigeria also sought to work together to end the spate of insurgency in the region.

The chief defense staff, Air Chief Marshall Alex Badeh, provided a glimpse of hope early in the week when he announced that the military authorities have discovered where the girls are kept. He added that they restrained from using force as the girls safety could be compromised by such approach.

Some of the girls were said to have escaped from the Islamists.

While addressing the many socio-political and economic crises facing the country, the Catholic priest charged journalists to be effective in their roles as the fourth estate of the realm with the strength to caution the excesses of each of the three arms of government.

He equally charged the electorate to be on their guard as the nation approaches another election season, urging them to use their electoral power to elect the proper candidates to various elective positions.