Reps give Buhari ultimatum to ensure release of Leah Sharibu, Chibok girls

Members of the House of Representatives were fierce on Tuesday over the continued stay in Boko Haram captivity of the remaining 113 Chibok schoolgirls and the last Dapchi schoolgirl, Leah Sharibu.

The House has therefore called on President Muhammadu Buhari to place the release of the girls as priority ahead of the 2019 general elections.

While describing the continued stay of the remaining Chibok girls in captivity as an embarrassment, the Rep members added that except Leah Sharibu is freed from captivity, the release of the rest of the abducted Dapchi girls amounts to nothing.

This came as the lawmakers debated on a motion on the urgent need to rescue the girls to mark the fourth anniversary of their adoption, which was moved by the member representing Damboa/Chibok Federal Constituency of Borno State, Mrs. Asabe Bashir.

The Speaker, Yakubu Dogara, who presided over the plenary, summing up the debate said, “Until the last surviving girl is reunited with her family, the truth is that we have done nothing. While we commend the efforts made so far, we do not want to mark another anniversary of the Chibok girls in captivity next year.”

Earlier, Bode Ayorinde and Mr. Diri Douye, had called on security agencies to intensify efforts to secure the release of the girls.

Ayorinde said, “Our security agencies must work harder. It is true that they are not sleeping on it, but the reality is that we need more work.”

For Douye, there are feelings that heads of security agencies had not told Nigerians the whole truth about the fate of the girls.

He said. “I think the House should seek more information from the heads of security agencies. They are not telling Nigerians the whole truth.”

The lawmakers during the Tuesday plenary also raised concerns over claims that the Federal Government had so far bought $460 million worth of military hardware from a US firm without appropriation by the National Assembly.

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The alleged money according to them is not part of the $1 billion President Muhammadu recently approved for release for the purpose of equipping the military.

The chairman, House Committee on Works, Mr. Toby Okechukwu, who laid the complain said, “Mr. Speaker, this money excludes the $1 billion that we were told was released recently for expenditure on the military. Our power of appropriation has been taken over by the executive arm and we can’t sit here and continue to watch things going the wrong way.”

The House subsequently, in an unanimous decision, passed the motion on the Chibok girls and also directed its committees on Finance, Ethics/Privileges to verify the allegation that $460 million had already been spent on military hardware without appropriation by the National Assembly.

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