Parents of the abducted Chibok girls have
reportedly cried out that their community
leaders have cheated them in the way an
alleged N100 million cash gift from the
presidency was shared.

The grieving parents were said to have been
given the money when they met President
Goodluck Jonathan on July 22 at the
Presidential Villa.
The Presidency allegedly handed over the
money to leaders of the Chibok community in
Abuja for onward presentation to parents of
the abducted schoolgirls.
According to a report monitored on Hausa
service of the British Broadcasting
Corporation, BBC, some of the parents are
now alleging that the Abuja-based community
leaders have shortchanged them.
One parent, who was among those who
visited the President, told BBC that he got
only N200,000.
“I got only N200,000 out of the said
N100million allegedly received by our leaders
in Abuja. Some of us got N300,000 and some
less than that.
He also said that he was not comfortable with
the way the money was shared among
parents of the kidnapped girls.
“Our leaders in Abuja are using the girls to
enrich themselves. In fact, some of the
parents were screened out of the entourage
by the Chibok leaders in Abuja. Many of them
are residents of Abuja, not parents of the
kidnapped girls”.
Another parent, who was screened out of the
delegation that visited the President, said he
got only N7,000 out of the money shared.
“I was at the farm when they brought the
N7,000 to my house and I collected it. Some
of us got even less, some got N300 and
below,” he said.
The parents stressed that they were not
selling their daughters and that the money
from the President just came to them as they
neither asked for, nor expected it.
One of the community leaders, Pobu Bitrus,
who is also a member of the House of
Representatives and was at the meeting with
the President explained to the BBC that after
meeting with the President, monies were
distributed to the parents in envelopes.
“After we met with the president, the parents
were given monies in envelopes and that’s all.
All other things they are saying about
N100million, I don’t know about that,” Mr.
Bitrus said.
In its reaction, yesterday, the Presidency
however said that it never gave N100 million
to parents of the abducted school girls, who
were at the Presidential Villa, Abuja last week,
saying the story was absolutely false.
Senior Special Assistant to President
Goodluck Jonathan on Public Affairs, Dr.
Doyin Okupe, yesterday told Vanguard that the
government only took care of the parents’
accommodation and feeding and described
contrary stories as “absolute falsehood.”
“The President did not give any N100m to the
visitors from Chibok. Government took care of
their accommodation, feeding and
transportation.
“Government’s plan is robust rehabilitation
and resettlement of the girls who have
escaped so they can continue their education.
“The government also plans to rebuild the
school and in general terms, repair damaged
infrastructure as a result of Boko Haram
insurgency in the North East,” Okupe said.
The abducted girls are still in their captors’
stronghold after being taken from their school
on April 14, 2014. Although the government
has announced several rescue efforts,
including international support, the girls
remain missing.