President Muhammadu Buhari on Wednesday spoke on the telephone with Mrs. Rebecca Sharibu, mother of the Dapchi Secondary schoolgirl, Leah, who was kidnapped by Boko Haram terrorists.
The Senior Special Assistant to the President on Media and Publicity, Garba Shehu, who disclosed this in a statement made available to journalists in Abuja, said the President assured Mrs. Sharibu that his administration will do everything it would take to bring her daughter back home.
The President consoled the Sharibu family and assured the parents that the Federal Government would do its utmost for the safety and security of their daughter.
“I convey my emotion, the strong commitment of my administration and the solidarity of all Nigerians to you and your family as we will do our best to bring your daughter home in peace and safety,” Buhari reportedly told the distraught mother.
He assured the mother that his heart was with her family, as that of the entire nation which continues to pray for the safe return of “our daughter, Leah.”
Mrs. Sharibu and her husband, Nathan, had on Sunday appealed to Buhari to ensure the release of their daughter before the October dateline given by the Boko Haram sect.
The insurgents had threatened to eliminate Leah, should the government failed to meet their demands before October.
But the mother at a press conference in Jos, the Plateau State capital, appealed to Buhari to do all within his power to stop the terrorists from carrying out their threat and as well ensure the safe and speedy release of her daughter.
Speaking amid tears, Mrs. Sharibu thanked all those who have been standing with the family in prayers, moral and motivational support not to relent until her daughter is returned.
She said, “Since February that my daughter alongside her schoolmates were abducted, it has been heartbroken for me as a mother, especially after her colleagues were released and she was held back.
“I’m appealing to President Muhammadu Buhari to apply all efforts used in ensuring the release of her colleagues; same should be used to free her as well, because there should be no reason, whatsoever, why her matter should be different.”