The United States government says the rescue of the 219 Chibok schoolgirls abducted by Boko Haram militants is its priority.
The girls were abducted on April 14, 2014.
The US Permanent Representative to the United Nations, Samantha Power, disclosed this to State House correspondents yesterday shortly after meeting behind closed-doors with President Muhammadu Buhari.
The American envoy affirmed that her lengthy discussion with President Buhari centred on the issue of the abducted schoolgirls.
She is in Nigeria as part of her trip to the Lake Chad Basin to highlight the growing threat of Boko Haram to the region.
On whether the US regarded the recent video released by the CNN as a proof that the abducted schoolgirls are still alive, Power said the video was “one part of our discussion and the larger puzzle that will need to be unravelled.”
Power also visited the #BringBackOurGirls Movement in Abuja and promised her country’s continued efforts in the rescue of the girls.
“What I can tell you, as a representative of President Obama, is that we will never give up. I can tell you that every day, we know more and more, we work with our partners and the partnership is getting stronger,” she said.
She expressed optimism that the world would, someday, celebrate the return of the girls. “I long for that day,” she enthused.
Earlier in her remarks, the leader of the group, Dr Oby Ezekwesili, appealed to the US government to assist in gathering credible intelligence that would help rescue the girls.
Ambassador Power had earlier visited the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Mr Geoffrey Onyeama, where she disclosed that the US embassy would offer technical assistance to help Nigeria resolve its lingering oil crisis.
