Nigerian President Muhammadu Buhari has said his government will trace and recover what he called “mind-boggling” sums of money stolen from the crude oil sector.

The kidnap of the girls from a boarding school in the north-eastern town of Chibok in April 2014 sparked global outrage.

He said his government is open to freeing detained militants in exchange for the girls’ freedom, but only if it finds credible Boko Haram leaders to negotiate with.

On Monday, US President Barack Obama pledged his support for Mr Buhari in the campaign against Boko Haram.

“The government that I lead is committed and would do whatever it takes to free Nigerians from the menace of terrorism”.

The World Bank unfolded a package which would see it spending up to $2.1 billion in rebuilding the badly devastated North-eastern part of Nigeria, ravaged for the past six years by the Boko Haram insurgency. To this end, he said he would be in Cameroon on July 29, to consult with President Paul Biya. As many of you know, Power Africa is one of our top priorities, making sure that we’re electrifying the continent so that it can grow faster and more people have access to the power that they need.

“They hope to return to Nigeria as soon as possible”. We have to be very careful indeed and we are taking our time because we want to bring them back safe and sound to their parents.

“I want to emphasize how much I appreciate President Buhari’s work so far”, President Obama said in a statement.

“We also need to improve the existing collaboration with other security agencies, especially in the areas of intelligence gathering”. Gen. Bradley A. Becker, U.S. Army Military District of Washington commanding general, during a wreath laying ceremony. He also hailed the Nigerian leader for having a “very clear agenda” for defeating extremism.

Weeks after elections in Nigeria, violence and attacks continue to drive population movements within and outside the country, the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner of Refugees (UNHCR) warned on Tuesday, reporting a â€steady flow” of Nigerian refugees now seeking safety some 100 kilometres inside the Cameroon border. Buhari said that new military chiefs were retraining forces and would adhere to internationally acceptable rules of engagement. More than a decade ago, then-vice president Dick Cheney’s Energy Task Force singled out Nigeria’s offshore oil reserves as having special strategic significance for the US.

Buhari was speaking in Washington after talks with World Bank officials.