Nigeria's Army deploys troops to hunt for ‘Chibok girls’

Nigeria's army has posted two divisions to hunt for 200 schoolgirls abducted last month by the Boko Haram sect in an attack that has been condemned globally. The soldiers are stationed in the border region close to Chad, Cameroon and Niger to work with other security agencies, said General Chris Olukolade, spokesman for the Defence Headquarters. President Goodluck Jonathan has faced criticism for his slow response since Boko Haram militants stormed a secondary school in Chibok, near the Cameroon border, on April 14, and kidnapped the girls, who were taking exams. 50 girls have escaped, but more than 200 remain with the insurgents. Earlier this month, Boko Haram leader, Abubakar Shekau, threatened to sell the girls “in the market.” “The facilities of the Nigerian Army signals as well as all the communication facilities of the Nigerian Police and all the services have been devoted into coordinating this search,” Reuters quoted Olukolade as saying in a statement. “The major challenge remains the fact that some of the information given here turned out in many occasions to be misleading. Nevertheless, this will not discourage the collaborative efforts that are ongoing,” he said. The air force has flown more than 250 sorties, and a multinational task force has also been activated and surveillance equipment is deployed in support of 10 search teams, he added.