Pres. Jonathan Cancels Planned Visit To Chibok Out Of Security Fears

Nigeria’s president has cancelled a planned visit to the village from which nearly 300 girls were kidnapped due to security fears.

The visit was to be Goodluck Jonathan’s first visit to Chibok, the village from where more nearly 300 schoolgirls were abducted by Boko Haram rebels a month ago.

“The president was planning to go but security advised otherwise on the visit,” said the source of the last-minute decision to cancel.

Instead, Mr Jonathan is to fly direct from the capital, Abuja, to Paris for a regional summit to discuss Boko Haram and wider security issues.

The cancellation of the visit to Chibok is likely to disappoint relatives of the girls who have already expressed their anger at the government’s slow response to the crisis and the armed forces’ failure to rescue the girls.

Boko Haram’s leader last week threatened in a video to sell the girls and young women into slavery unless the government freed rebels being held – the president said he would not do so.

Mr Jonathan has now accepted international help in the search following international outrage at the kidnappings.

The US has started flying aircraft over the area where it is suspected the girls are being held – residents of Chibok say they have not seen any planes.

The girls are believed to be being held in the vast Sambisa forest, about 20 miles from Chibok.

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