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'Jonathan Never Planned To Visit Chibok' - PRNigeria

May 16, 2014

Chairman of the National Information Centre and Director General of National Orientation Agency (NOA), Mr. Mike Omeri, said Friday that President Goodluck Jonathan never planned to visit Chibok, as widely speculated in media circles on Thursday.

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Omeri led other members of the Centre to address the media on their daily briefing specifically on efforts being made to rescue the 276 abducted Chibok Government secondary School girls and specifically on current international efforts to curb activities of Boko Haram terrorists inside the briefing centre of the NOA.

“As is usual in Nigeria, presidential trips and visits will always be announced by presidential spokespersons. The President is not going to Chibok; information that he is going to Chibok is unfounded and mischievous and we do not know where it emanated from,” Omeri clarified while advising politicians from both divides not to play politics with the search for the girls.

He announced that there has been progress made in the efforts to repatriate fugitive Sadiq Ogwuche, the co-mastermind of Nyanya Bus Park bombing from Sudan.

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The necessary papers needed to be perfected for the action were almost done, Omeri explained.

Concerning the leader of real mastermind of the bombing, Abubakar Tsiga, the NOA boss said an Interpol red alert has now been issued on him so that he could be arrested in any of the about 200 countries that are members of Interpol.

He also debunked insinuations that there were no coordination between Nigerian troops and members of the international military also involved in the search and rescue efforts for the girls.

Answering another question about presence of Nigerian troops inside the notorious Sambisa Forest, Omeri said there is a heavy presence of Nigerian soldiers and that is why there are constant reports of battle between the troops and Boko haram fighters.

According to him, there is presently two army divisions inside the garrison in Maiduguri along with other military and paramilitary forces dedicated to battling the terrorists.

Omeri commended members of the House of Representatives who out of patriotic zeal, has approved the request by President Goodluck Jonathan to extend the state of emergency in the three states of Borno, Yobe and Adamawa. 

-By PRNigeria

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