Akwa Ibom yesterday joined other Nigerians in marking 100 days of the abduction of Chibok girls by Boko Haram members with a pledge by the state government to clamp down on people who kidnap school children.

Making the vow during a special prayer session for the Chibok girls in Uyo, Governor Godswill Akpabio advised girls drawn from several secondary schools in the state to report incidents of kidnapping to him or his wife for necessary action against the culprits.

Akpabio further charged the students to listen to their parents, know their telephone numbers and to report people in the habit of child kidnapping to him, his wife, the Commissioner for Education or Chief of Personal Staff to the Governor. “Report anyone who wants to abuse you to us. Speak against any abuse. I’ll punish the person who abuses you or the principal of that school. Immediately you make the report, we’ll go into investigation to know the truth. We won’t expose your identity,” he said.

On the problem posed by some teachers, the governor directed the students to report those who abuse them to him for punishment to serve as a deterrent to others, observing that “It is the job of this administration to create a future for you.”

The governor lauded President Goodluck Jonathan for his determination to rescue the Chibok girls, saying: “The President is working hard to secure the release of the Chibok girls. The President is a father and is careful on how to rescue the abducted girls to avoid casualty that would cause the parents more psychological trauma.”

Akpabio said that 63 girls had escaped from the abductors’ hideout and that the Nigerian security agents knew the location where the girls were kept but that they want to be careful to ensure their safety.

He commended the international community for coming to assist the Nigerian Government in the efforts to rescue the girls, and expressed the hope that they would soon regain their freedom.

Speaking, wife of the governor, Ekaete Unoma Akpabio, said the Federal Government was working tirelessly to ensure the release of the abducted girls, urging Nigerians to be more prayerful.

Earlier, Rev. Angela Ashong in her exhortation had stressed that God was not slack concerning His promise but that He would act according to His will. He said that abducted girls would be released at God’s appointed time.

•Photo shows a cross section of schoolgirls at a prayer session for the Chibok girls in Uyo to mark 100 days since the abduction.

Update news