No fewer than 54 of the girls shown in the video released on Monday by Boko Haram have been identified by their parents.
The video was shown to the parents, pupils and teachers of the Government Secondary School, Chibok, security men and some officials of the Borno State Governmentat in the Government House, Maiduguri on Tuesday.
Isa Gusau, Special Adviser to Governor Kashim Shettima on Communications, however, explained in a statement that the names were “currently being compared with school records as well as the ones published some days back to ensure accuracy.”
“The exercise continues at the Government House and it is hoped that more names will be established by parents, students and teachers as well as management of the affected school,” Gusau added.
The statement reads in part, “Governor Shettima has confirmed that the young girls shown in a video released by Boko Haram are part of the schoolgirls abducted at the Government Secondary School, Chibok following a night attack on April 14, 2014.
“Fifty four of the girls in the video have been identified by their names at an exercise that involved some parents of the girls, fellow students that include those that escaped the abduction, some teachers, security men and some officials of the state government led by the Chief of Staff to the Government House,Abubakar Kyari.
“The parents and students were conveyed to the Government House in Maiduguri to make for an open identification.
“Governor Shettima announced this in Abuja today during a press briefing held after a peaceful procession by a coalition of civil society bodies and activists under the Bring Back Our Girls initiative in Abuja.
“Shettima said the figures of those identified by their names were climbing as the exercise went on at the Government House in Maiduguri. He was briefed every 30 minutes. Initially, while he was addressing the BBOG group, 36 names had been identified but before his press briefing an hour later, the number had climbed to 54 which he then told journalists.
“He had on Monday directed the identification to be conducted. The Chairman of Chibok Local Government Area and other government officials were made to mass produce the video.
“But after the exercise in Chibok, Governor Shettima directed for another round of verification to be conducted at the Government House in order to cross-check findings so as not to mislead the public.
“The second exercise confirmed the preliminary exercise in Chibok.”
SOURCE: PUNCH