Nigeria says 'in touch' with 276 schoolgirls’ abductors

By Rafiu Ajakaye

LAGOS, Nigeria (AA) - Nigerian authorities are “in touch” with the abductors of 276 schoolgirls kidnapped from their dormitory exactly three years ago, President Muhammadu Buhari said Friday.

“Government is in constant touch through negotiations, through local intelligence to secure the release of the remaining girls and other abducted persons unharmed,” the president said in a message commemorating the abduction.

“On this solemn occasion, my appeal is that we must not lose hope on the return of our remaining schoolgirls,” he said. “We have reached out to their captors, through local and international intermediaries and we are ever ready to do everything within our means to ensure the safe release of all the girls.”

Buhari’s statement comes as week-long activities to observe the third anniversary begin Friday with an inaugural lecture and news briefing by the #BringBackOurGirls movement, which comprises activists and individuals constantly pressing authorities to do more to liberate the girls.

The inaugural talk will be given by the outspoken Emir of Kano and former central bank chief Muhammadu Sanusi, who has become an advocate for female education in the NIgeria's conservative north.

Calling for immediate release of the teenagers, the #BringBackOurGirls movement said the administration had not “shown enough commitment” to end the agony of the girls and their parents - a charge the president denies.

In an open letter to Buhari last week, the movement asked the government to negotiate with Boko Haram to free the girls, a demand anchored on the successful release of 21 girls following dialogue last October.

At least 195 of the girls are thought to remain in captivity.

Of the 276 initially kidnapped, 57 escaped on the night of the abduction on April 14, 2014. While just three of the girls had regained freedom through military operations, 21 were freed last October through negotiations led by foreign mediators.