Daily Independent, Ibadan — The Archbishop, Catholic Archdiocese of Ibadan, Most Reverend Gabriel Abegunrin, has called for a carefully designed post-rescue plan for the over 200 secondary school girls abducted by the Boko Haram insurgents from Chibok, Borno State, about two months ago.
This is as the Nigerian government battles with the pressures to secure the release of the girls.
Archbishop Abegunrin called for a comprehensive plan to ensure proper rehabilitation and reintegration of the abducted girls at an interactive session with journalists in Ibadan.
Abegunrin noted that the post rescue programmes “are as much important as ensuring their release from the den of the Islamist fundamentalists,” adding, “after securing the release of the girls, we need to do more by ensuring that their lives become better.
“The girls have already been traumatised. 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 reunite and reintegrate them to the system.
“They must also be given adequate education to restore their hope in the country and as a body, the Catholic Church is praying fervently for quick release of the girls, the earlier the mission is completed, the better for the victims and the nation,” the Archbishop said.
He recalled that since the girls were abducted by the insurgents early April, the Nigerian government had been under intense pressure to secure their release with the developed nations, including the United States, Britain, Germany, China, among others, offering military assistance, while countries sharing borders with Nigeria also sought to work together to end the spate of insurgency in the region.
The Catholic Archbishop expressed hope in the announcement by the Chief of Defence Staff (CDS), Alex Badeh, early in the week that the military authorities had discovered where the girls were kept which he said provided a glimpse of hope.
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 curb 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.
