Jonathan Says Chibok Girls Abduction Remains A Lifelong Scar

Former President Goodluck Jonathan has described the 2014 abduction of Chibok schoolgirls as a lasting scar on his administration and personal life.

He made the remark in Abuja during the public presentation of Scars: Nigeria’s Journey and the Boko Haram Conundrum, a book by retired Chief of Defence Staff, Lucky Irabor.

Jonathan recalled that while his government explored dialogue with Boko Haram, the group nominated Muhammadu Buhari, who later succeeded him in 2015, as their preferred negotiator. He noted that he had expected Buhari’s presidency to lead to a breakthrough in talks, but the insurgency continued.

He said Buhari’s struggle to end the crisis showed the complexity of the group’s operations. According to him, no single account can capture the full story of Boko Haram, which began in 2009 when he was vice president under the late Umaru Musa Yar’Adua.

Jonathan stated that during his five years in office, he tried different measures to tackle the insurgency, from committees to alternative approaches, but Boko Haram remained a persistent challenge. He said even after he left office, he thought Buhari would defeat the group within a short time, yet the crisis still lingers.

The former president stressed that Boko Haram cannot be understood solely through conventional explanations, such as poverty or hunger, and called for a fresh perspective on addressing the problem.

He expressed optimism that Nigeria would eventually overcome the insurgency and urged military officers who played roles in the fight to document their experiences for the country’s historical record.

Jonathan added that both his administration and that of Buhari, who died in July 2025, tried their best, but the issue remains unresolved, proving its deep-rooted and complex nature.