Former Nigerian President Goodluck Jonathan has said that the 2014 abduction of the Chibok schoolgirls remains an enduring and painful mark on his time in office.

He made the remarks on Friday during the public presentation of SCARS: Nigeria’s Journey and the Boko Haram Conundrum, a memoir by retired Chief of Defence Staff, General Lucky Irabor. Jonathan praised Irabor, describing him as “a soldier who stood for truth and never played politics with security.”

Reflecting on the Chibok tragedy, Jonathan said, “The title of this book is quite interesting. One of the major scars on my government is the Chibok Girls. As Bishop Kukah said, no plastic or cosmetic surgeon can remove it. It is a scar I will die with.”

The 2014 kidnapping of 276 schoolgirls in Borno State sparked international outrage and the global #BringBackOurGirls campaign. While some girls escaped or were rescued, over 80 remain missing.

Jonathan recalled that Boko Haram emerged in 2009 during his tenure as Vice President under Umaru Musa Yar’Adua and intensified during his presidency. “I battled Boko Haram for five years as President. I thought Buhari would wipe them out quickly, but they remain,” he said.

He urged Nigerians to recognize the complexity of the insurgency and called for a strategic rethink in dealing with the group to ensure lasting security.