TheCable

Acting President Yemi Osinbajo has directed security agencies to take “all necessary steps” to rescue the women abducted by the Boko Haram sect in Borno state.

Laolu Akande, Osinbajo’s spokesman, made this known in a statement issued in Abuja on Wednesday.

On June 20, Boko Haram fighters attacked a convoy of security personnel in the Damboa area of Borno state, kidnapping an undisclosed number of women, some of whom were said to be police officers.

Akande said Osinbajo also asked the security agencies to engage Nigeria’s international partners in a coordinated effort to rescue the women.

He said the President Muhammadu Buhari administration would continue to make more efforts aimed at beefing up security in the north-east.

“The acting president has therefore directed Nigeria’s military and intelligence agencies to take all necessary steps including coordinating with our international partners to rescue the abducted women, as well as to ensure further tightening of security in and around Borno state,” the statement read.

“The Buhari presidency assures that the ongoing efforts of security agencies, including the establishment of additional military and police bases in parts of the country, as well as the improved intelligence gathering will continue, and commends some of the recent significant breakthroughs in combating kidnapping and banditry in the country.”

Abubakar Shekau, leader of the Boko Haram sect, had released two videos featuring the women since their abduction.

The first video was released on June 27 in which he claimed the abducted women have become slaves of the group.

On Monday, July 17, he released another video in which one of the women said the insurgents have taken care of them.