Former Nigerian President Goodluck Jonathan stated that the 2014 abduction of the Chibok girls remains an “indelible scar” on his legacy.
He made the comments on Friday at the public presentation of SCARS: Nigeria’s Journey and the Boko Haram Conundrum, a memoir by former Chief of Defence Staff, General Lucky Irabor (rtd.).
Reflecting on his presidency, Jonathan admitted that the abduction of the 276 schoolgirls in Chibok, Borno State, will haunt him forever.
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He said:“The title of this book is quite interesting. One of the major scars on my government is the Chibok Girls. As Bishop Kukah said, no plastic or cosmetic surgeon can remove it. It is a scar I will die with,” he said.
The incident sparked the #BringBackOurGirls campaign and generated global outrage. Although some girls escaped or were freed, more than 80 remain unaccounted for.
Jonathan also commended General Irabor’s service, noting that the retired officer was “a soldier who stood for truth and never played politics with security.”
Jonathan recalled that Boko Haram began in 2009 when he was Vice President.
He explained, “I battled Boko Haram for five years as President,” adding, “I thought Buhari would wipe them out quickly, but they remain.”
He stressed that the insurgency is “far more complex than many assume” and urged Nigeria to rethink its strategy.
The former President questioned why the crisis has persisted since 2009, stating that “The carrot and stick method may be required to address this insurgency.”
He pointed to the group’s advanced weaponry, arguing that the firepower proved “external hands are clearly involved in sustaining them.”
“Sometimes they even had more munitions than our soldiers. That does not reflect the actions of hungry villagers,” he said.
Jonathan’s government was heavily criticized at the time for its response to the tragedy, but he defended his silence, saying it was intended to “protect sensitive investigations and intelligence operations.”
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