Senate Urges FG to Expedite Action on Leah Sharibu’s Release 

Deji Elumoye in Abuja

The Senate Thursday urged the federal government to expedite action on the release of Leah Sharibu, the remaining pupil of Science Secondary School, Dapchi, Yobe State still being held by Boko Haram insurgents since February last year.

This was sequel to a point of order raised by Senator Shehu Sani (Kaduna Central), who canvassed for the need to urge the federal government to expedite action on whatever means possible in getting the girl rescued.

Sani, who came through Order 43 under personal explanation, said: “14 months of Leah Sharibu in the captivity of Boko Haram insurgents and five years of the yet to be released Chibok girls calls for national concern and urgent need by relevant authorities to do all within their powers in getting them released.

“What perhaps may be the most important strategy to be adopted in getting Leah and others out of captivity is the option of dialogue with their abductors. It has worked in so many other places where similar abductions took place like Afghanistan, Pakistan etc terrorised by the Talibans.

“Though government cannot be said not to have taken action in getting Leah and others released, but there is need for it to redouble and expedite actions in that direction for parents and relatives of the abductees to be freed from psychological trauma they must have been facing and for the abductees to know that they have a country that cares for them.”

Being a matter raised under self explanation, Sani’s motion was not put to debate by other senators but the Senate President, Dr Bukola Saraki, in his remarks, said all efforts must be made by the federal government towards getting Leah and others released.

The upper legislative chamber also confirmed six nominees of President Muhammadu Buhari as members of the Board of the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS).