Abduction of schoolgirls exposes weakness of leaders – Shettima

From Mustapha Isah Kwaru, Maiduguri

Governor Kashim Shettima, of Borno state, yesterday said the abduction of over 200 Chibok schoolgirls by the Boko Haram insurgents was an indication of weakness on the side of leaders.

Governor Shettima made the observation, while hosting members of the ‘Presidential Fact-Finding Committee on abducted schoolgirls in Chibok’ at the Government in Maiduguri.

“For me, the Chibok incident has grossly exposed our weighty weakness as leaders, in terms of assuming our shared responsibilities.

In the two or three months, the entire western world mobilized men and resources, contributed so much funds in the search for a Malaysian airline, which is believed to have crashed into the ocean.

“Majority in the western world suspect that the crew and passengers of that Malaysian airline are most probably dead. Despite that, massive investment was and still being deployed in the search for whatever can be found as remains of those in that plane and its wreckage.

Now, while that is going on, here is Nigeria, there was a report that over 200 human creatures, young Nigerian girls about completing their secondary school education, where attacked in their school at night and whisked away like slaves in ancient years”, he said.

The governor regretted that despite available credible facts which are beyond reasonable doubts that the innocent girls were indeed kidnapped, some individuals are yet to be convinced.

He said: “And some Nigerians, one of them a former Minister and one -time member of the Federal Executive Council, which is the highest decision -making body of this country, worst of all, a woman and a mother, came out to cast doubt over the abduction of these abduction.

“Doubt over that abduction pained me as much as the incident its self, more than the childish theory that as government, we will have something to hide”.

He wondered why some people chose to play politics with the crucial issue of the abduction for merely achieving a selfish interest, insisting that government has nothing to hide.