Report from Reuters Africa states that President Goodluck Jonathan will this Friday May 16th visit Chibok Community where 234 girls were abducted by Boko Haram men on April 14th. This is President Jonathan’s first visit to Borno state after 31 days of the abduction of nearly 300 school students, all female, in a story that has captured world attention and has placed unwanted focus on Jonathan’s beleaguered leadership.
President Jonathan is also scheduled to travel to Paris, France, for a regional security summit.The security meeting was convened by French President Francois Hollande to discuss fresh strategies for dealing with the security threat posed by Boko Haram and other terrorist groups in West and Central Africa.
Mr. Jonathan will be joined at the summit by Heads of State and government of Benin Republic, Cameroon, Niger and Chad. Britain, United States and the European Union are also expected to send in representatives.
The Nigerian president is travelling alongside the defence minister, Aliyu Gusau, the National Security Adviser, Sambo Dasuki, and other aides. He will return to Abuja Saturday.
The president has rejected an offer by Boko Haram, Abubakar Shekau, to swap the missing girls with detained Boko Haram fighters. In a mix of conflicting information, other top officials also signaled the government would be willing to negotiate with the extremists.