The Presidency on Wednesday disclosed that the Federal Government was close to a breakthrough in the efforts to get brave Christian girl Leah Sharibu released by Boko Haram insurgents.

Leah Sharibu was one of the 110 Dapchi schoolgirls in Yobe State kidnapped earlier in 2017 by Boko Haram. She was held back by the terrorist group when her Muslim counterparts were freed, following her refusal to renounce her Christian faith.

Speaking when he appeared on ARISE NEWS television programme, Morning Show, Presidential Spokesman Femi Adesina disclosed that much progress had been made on the case by erstwhile Acting Director-General of the Department of State Service (DSS), Alhaji Lawal Daura, before he was unceremoniously sacked last week by Acting President Yemi Osinbajo, following the siege to the National Assembly by hooded and heavily armed operatives of the DSS, reportedly on his orders.

A report this morning by THISDAY, quoted Adesina as explaining that – contrary to earlier reports, Daura was not under house arrest but being debriefed on sensitive issues as such as the Leah Sharibu negotiations.

Adesina’s words: “I wouldn’t call that detention really. You know that a person of that calibre (Daura) needed to be debriefed and he needs to hand over properly. This is security. On security at that level, you don’t ask the man to go. No. There must be proper debriefing and handing over. . .

“There is this problem that it is not everything that the hunter sees in the forest that he talks about. But at the risk of revealing something, l know that a breakthrough was about being achieved about Leah Sharibu before what happened to the DG, DSS happened.”

Asked why Daura has not been allowed to return to his house, Adesina reportedly explained that given the sensitive nature of Daura’s schedule, it was necessary for him to interact more with his replacement, Mr. Matthew Seiyefa, in order to do proper handover of his former office.

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