Abducted girls: Jonathan meets US envoy, gets more support from UN, UK, others

President Goodluck Jonathan today met with the United States Ambassador to Nigeria, Mr. James Entwistle, to discuss modalities for the actualization of the offer made by President Barrack Obama to help Nigeria rescue the girls abducted from Chibok, Borno State. Presidential spokesman, Reuben Abati, said in a statement, that the meeting, held on the sidelines […]

President Goodluck Jonathan today met with the United States Ambassador to Nigeria, Mr. James Entwistle, to discuss modalities for the actualization of the offer made by President Barrack Obama to help Nigeria rescue the girls abducted from Chibok, Borno State.

Presidential spokesman, Reuben Abati, said in a statement, that the meeting, held on the sidelines of the ongoing World Economic Forum on Africa was a follow-up to talks held earlier between Entwistle and Nigerian security officials on the United States’ offer of assistance.

Abati said Jonathan reiterated Nigeria’s appreciation of the United States offer to deploy U.S. security personnel and assets to work with their Nigerian counterparts in the search and rescue operation which was conveyed to him on Tuesday by the U.S. Secretary of State, Mr. John Kerry.

He quoted Jonathan as telling the envoy and other delegations which met separately with him at the venue of the World Economic Forum that the much greater support which Nigeria was receiving from the United States and other members of the international community in the aftermath of the Chibok abductions, would certainly help the country to rapidly overcome the Boko Haram insurgency.

According to him, others received by Jonathan include the President of Ghana, Mr. John Mahama and the President of the ECOWAS Commission, Mr. Kadré Désiré Ouédraogo who brought him a message of solidarity from ECOWAS Heads of State and Government.

Abati said Mahama informed Jonathan that to support Nigeria’s efforts to rescue the abducted girls and defeat terrorism, ECOWAS leaders had decided to invoke the community’s protocols on counter-terrorism.

The Ghanaian leader, was also quoted as saying that a meeting of Heads of Intelligence Services of ECOWAS member-countries would hold in Accra next week to work out a new framework for intelligence sharing in support of the effort to eradicate the threat of terrorism in Nigeria and the entire West African Sub-Region.

Abati said Jonathan also had private meetings with Prof. Klaus Schwab, the Founder of the World Economic Forum who said that Nigeria deserved the maximum solidarity of the world at this trying moment.

Jonathan later met with President Jakaya Kikwete of Tanzania, former President Lula Da Silva of Brazil and the Prime Minister of Mali, Mr. Moussa Mara all of who conveyed the solidarity of their governments and people.

Abati said the Secretary-General of the United Nations, Mr. Ban Ki Moon also spoke with President on the phone today to convey the sympathy and solidarity of the global community with the government and people of Nigeria.

He said Ban Ki Moon assured Jonathan that the United Nations was ready to help Nigeria in every possible way to rescue the abducted girls and achieve greater security of lives and property in all parts of the country.