United States Secretary of State, Rex Tillerson, on Monday met with President Muhammadu Buhari at the presidential villa, Abuja.
Subsequently, he expressed the hope that the Dapchi school girls recently abducted by Boko Haram would be released peacefully through some sort of negotiation.
Addressing the press after the meeting with the president, Tillerson also stressed the assistance his government was giving to Nigeria towards rescuing the girls and their Chibok counterparts still in Boko Haram captivity, including providing materials, intelligence training, among others.
The envoy affirmed that Boko Haram remains a threat not only to Nigeria, but to the entire sub-region.
Tillerson commended President Buhari for leading the sub-region in the fight against terrorism as well as his fight against corruption which he noted had earned the president recognition at the African Union.
On his Africa tour, Tillerson had earlier met with the AU in Ethiopia and diplomatic meetings in Kenya.
He ended his Africa trip in Chad and Nigeria where counter terrorism topped the agenda.
During his visit to Chad, Tillerson hinted at the possibility of lifting the travel ban on Chad, which he said was an ally in the fight against terrorism. He said that his team was preparing a progress report on Chad which would be reviewed by President Trump at a later point.
Chad’s President Idriss Deby voiced his incomprehension of the travel ban. Tillerson had cut his week-long Africa trip a day short citing that he had urgent matters to attend to in the US. He had also cancelled some of his appointments over the weekend in Kenya, saying that he felt unwell.