David Mark begs captors to free schoolgirls

The Senate President, David Mark, has appealed to the captors of female students of Government Girls Secondary School, Chibok in Borno State, to heed the voice of reason and free the girls.

The appeal is contained in a statement issued in Abuja on Wednesday by the Chief Press Secretary to the Senate President, Mr Paul Mumeh.



The statement said Mark described the abduction of the school girls as “embarrassingly sacrilegious”.

It stressed the need for wise counsel to prevail on the captors to release the girls, so as to end the mental and psychological torture the girls, their parents and guardians were going through.

According to the statement, there is no justification for the abduction of the girls whose only offence is their quest for education in order to better their lot and contribute to national development.

“The situation is fast degrading and devaluing us as against the age long cherished love for younger persons. It is a sad commentary and a terrible assault on our psyche as a people.

“In the good old days of Nigeria, this was a taboo and unarguably unheard of,” Mark said in the statement.

It, however, called for synergy between and among security agencies to do all that was needed to urgently rescue the girls from their captors.

The statement said there were extant, lawful channels to addressing grievances.

“This un-abating show of rascality and disregard for rule of law by the insurgents is an affront to Nigerians.

“We should all know that there is the Almighty God above all. This lack of human feelings and display of impunity is certainly not a way of life.

“The perpetrators should rethink and give peace a chance.

“Let us go back to the basics and live like true Africans where brother hood is held sacrosanct,” it said.