President Buhari asks UN to mediate in Chibok girls release

President Muhammadu Buhari has asked the United Nations Secretary General, Ban Ki-moon, to facilitate the mediation between Nigeria and Boko Haram for the release of the abducted Chibok schoolgirls.

The terrorist group is demanding that Nigerian governments frees its detained fighters ‎in exchange for the over 200 school girls kidnapped in April 2014, a condition the Federal Government has accepted only if establishes the genuine leadership of the group and the  safety of the girls.

Speaking during a bilateral meeting with the UN scribe on the sidelines of the 71st UN General Assembly in New York, Buhari said the Nigerian government was willing to bend over backwards just to get the Chibok girls released safely.

His words: "The challenge is in getting credible and bona fide leadership of Boko Haram to discuss with. The split in the insurgent group is not helping matters.

"Government had reached out, ready to negotiate, but it became difficult to identify credible leaders. We will welcome intermediaries such as UN outfits to step in.”

The President reiterated that the teachings of Boko Haram were far from being Islamic, as neither Islam, nor any other religion, advocates hurting the weak and innocent.

"The fact that they kill men, women, children, and other people wantonly, and shout Allahu Akbar (God is great) shows that they do not know that Allah at all. If they did, they would not shed innocent blood," the president pointed out.

He thanked Ban Ki-moon for the moral and material support given to Nigeria, which has enabled the country surmount many of the challenges facing her.

In his response, the UN Secretary General congratulated President Buhari on the anti-corruption war.

"You are highly respected by world leaders, including myself. Your persona has given your country a positive image", the UN scribe told Buhari.

He said the UN recognized the achievements of the Buhari administration against Boko Haram, but urged that human rights be upheld always, to prevent a repeat of the scenario being witnessed in Syria.

Ban Ki-moon also thanked the Nigerian leader for his commitment to issues on climate change, adding that the government should "own the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)," for the good of its citizens.