Nigeria's President Orders Offensive on Boko Haram in Effort to Free Girls

Carrie Dedrick | Updated: May 29, 2014

Nigeria's President Orders Offensive on Boko Haram in Effort to Free Girls

Nigerian President Goodluck Jonathan announced that he is going on the offensive against the Boko Haram in an effort to return over 200 kidnapped girls to their families.

“I am determined to protect our democracy, our national unity and our political stability, by waging a total war against terrorism,” Jonathan said in a televised address to the nation.

“I assure you...that these thugs will be driven away. It will not happen overnight, but we will spare no effort to achieve this goal,” he said.

Jonathan did not elaborate on a strategy for the attack Reuters reports. The number of troops in the nation are already stretched due to the northeastern Nigeria being under a state of emergency for a year.

The speech came in the wake of four of the captured girls escaping from the militants. Those girls have been returned to their parents; the way that the girls escaped their captors has not been released. According to the Christian Telegraph, 219 of the schoolgirls remain prisoners of the Boko Haram.

 

Publication date: May 29, 2014



Nigeria's President Orders Offensive on Boko Haram in Effort to Free Girls