I have had to remain quiet about the
continuing efforts by Nigeria’s military, police and investigators to
find the girls kidnapped in April from the town of Chibok by the
terrorist group Boko Haram. I am deeply concerned, however, that my
silence as we work to accomplish the task at hand is being misused by
partisan critics to suggest inaction or even weakness.
My silence has been necessary to avoid
compromising the details of our investigation. But let me state this
unequivocally: My government and our security and intelligence services
have spared no resources, have not stopped and will not stop until the
girls are returned home and the thugs who took them are brought to
justice. On my orders, our forces have aggressively sought these killers
in the forests of northern Borno state, where they are based. They are
fully committed to defending the integrity of their country.
My heart aches for the missing children and
their families. I am a parent myself, and I know how awfully this must
hurt. Nothing is more important to me than finding and rescuing our
girls.
Since 2010, thousands of people have been
killed, injured, abducted or forced by Boko Haram, which seeks to
overwhelm the country and impose its ideology on all Nigerians. My
government is determined to make that impossible. We will not succumb to
the will of terrorists.
The abduction of our children cannot be seen
as an isolated event. Terrorism knows no borders. This month, Nigeria,
Benin, Cameroon, Chad, Niger, Britain and the United States established
an External Intelligence Response Unit to share security information on
such threats in West Africa. I propose that we build on this step to
establish an enduring, worldwide commitment to destroying terrorism and
those who finance or give safe haven to the terrorists.
In September, I will urge the U.N. General
Assembly to establish a U.N.-coordinated system for sharing intelligence
and, if necessary, special forces and law enforcement to confront
terrorism wherever it occurs.
In Nigeria, there are political, religious and
ethnic cleavages to overcome if we are to defeat Boko Haram. We need
greater understanding and outreach between Muslims and Christians. We
also know that, as it seeks to recruit the gullible, Boko Haram exploits
the economic disparities that remain a problem in our country. We are
addressing these challenges through such steps as bringing stakeholders
together and creating a safe schools initiative, a victims’ support fund
and a presidential economic recovery program for northeastern Nigeria.
We are also committed to ridding our country of corruption and
safeguarding human and civil rights and the rule of law.
Something positive can come out of the
situation in Nigeria: most important, the return of the Chibok girls,
but also new international cooperation to deny havens to terrorists and
destroy their organizations wherever they are — whether in the forests
of Nigeria, on the streets of New York or sanctuaries in Iraq or
Pakistan. Those who value humanity , civilization and the innocence of
children can do no less.
