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Tag: Chibok girls

  • Chibok girls: Presidency, Military deny payment of $21m for ransom

    Chibok girls: Presidency, Military deny payment of $21m for ransom

    The Presidency yesterday denied the alleged payment of $21million to Boko Haram leadership for the release of 21 Chibok girls.

    It said the administration of President Muhammadu Buhari had no such money to pay as ransom.

    The presidency said negotiations for the release of more Chibok girls, possibly all the rest, were in progress.

    The military high command also strongly denied paying any ransom.

    A statement by the Senior Special Assistant to the President (Media and Publicity) to the President, Mallam Garba Shehu, faulted some reports that the ransom cash was being used by Boko Haram insurgents to buy arms to launch fresh attacks on the country.

    The statement said: “Over the past few days, some newspaper reports  ascribing the recent terrorist attacks in Borno State to the government’s negotiation of the release of 21 Chibok girls, with a particular report alleging the exchange of US$21 million for the girls are false and should be disregarded by members of the public. This loose talk is journalism at its most irresponsible and it’s most dismaying.

    “As a responsible government that is run on the basis of the constitution and budgets duly appropriated by the National Assembly, we have no such money under any allocation to pay out this outrageous sum of money as ransom.

    “Beyond the call of journalism, the newspaper making this charge has a national duty to point how and where this money was paid, and to supply leads as to where the “powerful weapons” were bought by the terrorists.”

    The statement said the girls regained freedom in line with the campaign pledge of President Muhammadu Buhari.

    The statement added: “From the inception of President Buhari’s administration, the media, local and international groups, have persistently pressured the government to do everything possible to facilitate the release of the Chibok girls.”

    The presidency however appealed to the media not to relent in their support for the military.

    It said: “May I humbly, once again appeal to the Nigerian media to continue their unflinching support to the military and other security agencies as they fight to free our country from terrorism.”

    In a statement in Abuja, the Defence Headquarters also said it has become worrisome that some sections of the media have continued to undermine national security by insisting a ransom was paid to Boko Haram.

    Acting Director, Defence Information, Brig. General Rabe Abubakar said the story carried by a national newspaper (not The Nation) is unsubstantiated, false and a deliberate campaign against the military. He said the report that the ransom paid is being used by Boko Haram to further carry out attacks is capable of undermining national security.

    The DHQ however warns: “The DHQ wishes to once more remind the media to be cautious of such reports which has serious implication on national security and to further add that, as partners in progress, the media also has a stake in the ongoing efforts to restore lasting peace in the North East and the country in general.”

     

     

  • Still on the Chibok girls

    SIR: It was a relief to see President Muhammadu Buhari meet with the 21 Chibok girls alongside their families at the State House, Abuja, recently. The girls were part of more than 200 kidnapped schoolgirls held captive since April 2014 by members of the notorious Boko Haram. According to the government, the girls were released after successful negotiations between the sect, the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) as well as the Nigerian and Swiss governments.

    The federal government and the various parties that facilitated this intervention deserve high commendation for restoring the hopes of the families of the girls and several people from all over the world touched by the unfortunate experience.

    However, beyond the release of the schoolgirls, a number of other key issues have arisen that should be given the necessary attention. To begin with, there is the need to find the remaining girls, whose fates still remain unknown. The government should deploy the same tact, resources and energy to rescue others. There is the tendency to be revelling with the euphoria of the present success at the detriment of the others. Secondly, there is the need to monitor with more caution, the kind of information that would be shared to the public following the release of the girls.

    Because of the high security nature of the case, unnecessary publicity should be avoided for now to avoid jeopardising subsequent efforts. We should remember that all is not over until the remaining girls are found and rescued hale and hearty. Thirdly, is the issue of giving adequate rehabilitation to the rescued girl, going by the nation’s not-too-encouraging records of rehabilitating victims of emergencies and natural disasters. This time around, the rehabilitation should be thorough and sustained.

    Another point to take seriously is the imperative of putting in place the necessary mechanism to solicit and manage the relief items meant for the upkeep of the girls. Donated materials to the victims should not be diverted by those entrusted with the task of managing the items. Government should ensure that any man-made of bureaucratic problems that could make the donated relief materials to get into private hands should be prevented. It is common knowledge that victims of such circumstance like the Internally Displaced Persons in the North-East, remain under terrible and pitiable living conditions because of the inability of the beneficiaries to access donated materials.

    And as promised by the government, the girls should be allowed to continue the pursuit of their academic programmes that was truncated with their abductions in 2014. And as previously mentioned, sustained effort should be deployed at ensuring that the remaining girls are found and rescued alive. Nigerians would certainly be happier when all the missing girls are found.

     

    • Adewale Kupoluyi,

    Federal University of Agriculture, Abeokuta.

  • N/Delta youths commend Buhari for ‘redeeming Nigeria’s lost image’

    N/Delta youths commend Buhari for ‘redeeming Nigeria’s lost image’

    The Niger Delta Youth Movement (NDYM), Ondo State chapter, has commended President Muhammadu Buhari for “rebuilding the country’s lost image.’’

    Chairman of NDYM, Agbejoye Adetoye, via a statement issued on Thursday in Abuja, expressed the movement’s appreciation to the president for his efforts at making integrity and discipline the watchwords of Nigerians.

    According to him, these values have eluded many of the country’s leaders and citizens over the years.

    “It is on record that integrity, discipline and honesty are gradually returning to our public life unlike in the past when impunity was the order of the day.

    “The president’s popular slogan, ‘If Nigeria refuses to kill corruption, corruption will kill Nigeria’ is fast gaining a strong footing in public consciousness.

    “The anti-corruption campaign of the present administration has prevented the country from total collapse.

    “We are grateful to the president for securing the recent release of  21 Chibok girls. We pray that his dream for a new Nigeria will not be cut short,’’ he said.

    Adetoye stated that the movement was satisfied with the recall of erroneous nomination of Adetokunbo Ajasin as the Ondo State representative in the Niger Delta Development Commission  (NDDC) board.

    This, he said, was  because Ajasin’s nomination was against the NDDC Act 2000 and 2001 as amended.

    He appealed to the president to let the voice of Niger Delta youths count in the nomination of another Ondo State representative in the board.

  • APC governors seek release of other Chibok girls

    APC governors seek release of other Chibok girls

    Chief Justice of Nigeria (CJN) Justice Mahmud Mohammed yesterday described corruption as a major problem in the judiciary.

    He said measures were being intensified to curb the menace, one of which is the unveiling of a National Judicial Policy (NJP) in Abuja yesterday by the National Judicial Council (NJC).

    The CJN spoke against the background of the security operation against two Supreme Court Justices and other judges, who are due to face corruption charges.

    Justice Mohammed, who is also the chairman of the NJC, said: “It would be stating the obvious to opine that the greatest single menace that challenges the justice system in Nigeria today is corruption.

    “This endemic vice is not peculiar to any region and ethnic group, cutting across faiths, religious denominations, levels of education and economic status.

    “Corruption has serious implications for both the rule of law and access to justice, and must be fought both institutionally and individually.

    “This is why the National Judicial Policy contains clear provisions restating the Judiciary’s commitment to transparency and accountability.

    “This is clearly spelt out in Paragraph 5.1 of the National Judicial Policy 2016, thus- ‘the National Judicial Policy recognises that the greatest and most damaging challenge to administration of justice is corruption and that tackling this challenge must go beyond mere exhortation and sentiments.’

    “The policy gives the legal backing for several multifaceted strategies and guidelines to be developed while the Judiciary continues to walk the talk in ridding corrupt Judicial Officers from its ranks, strictly in accordance with due process and the rule of law,” the CJN said.

    Justice Mohammed, who spoke at the launch of the NJP, noted that the absence of such policy in the past has occasioned an uneven growth of the Judiciary.

    “Certainly, the absence of a blueprint has resulted in a demand for the transformation of the Nigerian Judiciary into a modern judicial system.

    “For a number of years, each Jurisdiction has had to muddle along in developing core values and objectives and this has led to a mixed bag of standards and policies.

    “This has also been compounded by the challenging deprivations and paucity of resources, without which critical development was limited.

    “The National Judicial Policy is a charter of commitment to the values that elevate not only our judicial institutions, but also those who are employed by or involved in it.

    “The importance of the foundational virtues of discipline, efficiency, integrity and enduring commitment are reflected in the National Judicial Policy as embodied in its first three regulations and rules of the policy,” the CJN said.

    He added that the policy will also serve as a mechanism to facilitate a greater knowledge of the Judiciary by the other arms of government.

    Former CJN Dahiru Musdapher, who was the event’s chairman, noted that the absence of a National Judicial Policy before now resulted in a disjointed development of the Judiciary.

    “It is certainly time, given recent events that bring to the fore the importance of the third arm of government in the high expectation reposed in it by every Nigerian.

    “The National Judicial Policy provides a statement of intent that will better improve us and protect our institutions and the integrity of the Nigerian Judiciary,” Mudaspher said.

    The event, held at the National Judicial Institute (NJI),was attended by eminent personalities, including two other former Chief Justices of Nigeria – Justices Mohammed Uwais and Idris Kutigi; President of the Court of Appeal Zainab Bulkachuwa and retired Justice of the Supreme Court Emmanuel Ayoola.

    The event also featured the inauguration, by the CJN, of the Judicial Ethics Committee headed by Justice Kutigi.

    The committee, which is saddled with the enforcement of the policy, is required to conduct periodic surveys on behalf of the NJC to provide empirical measurements of compliance with the policy, as it affects the administration of justice and application of ethical standards by all judicial officers and court staff.

  • NPA MD hails Buhari for Chibok girls’ release

    Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA) Managing Director Hadiza Bala Usman yesterday hailed President Muhammadu Buhari over the release of 21 Chibok girls.

    Speaking with selected reporters in her office, she lauded the Federal Executive Council (FEC) for the negotiation that led to the release of the girls.

    Ms Usman, who shot to national prominence in 2014 when Boko Haram insurgents kidnapped 276 girls from their secondary school in Chibok, Borno State, said she was happy over the efforts put in place by the Federal Government to secure the release of some of the girls.

    She urged Nigerians to always appreciate the positive efforts put in place by the government to boost security and revamp the economy.

    The NPA boss said the release of the girls was a fulfillment of President Buhari’s and the All Progressives Congress’ (APC) campaign promise.

    Acknowledging that the release of the girls was a good indication that the country would overcome its security and other challenges, she urged the Federal Government not to relent in its efforts to secure the release of the remaining girls.

  • Miracle reunion

    Miracle reunion

    As we celebrate the return of 21 Chibok girls, we must keep working for the release of the others

    Even if God reenacts the miracle at the Red Sea where the Israelites looked back and saw Pharaoh and his army and their chariots, for the last time, those who would not believe in miracles will not believe. Or if God reenacts waking up Lazarus from the dead; those who will not believe will still not believe. Rather than agree that these are miracles, they will find some scientific or other explanations for the events. The same way it is going to be difficult to convince the people who do not believe that the return, on October 13, of 21 of the Chibok girls abducted from Chibok Secondary School, Chibok, Borno State, in the night of April 14, 2014 was a miracle. But those who believe that miracles still happen, in spite of our sins and all, know that this was something that is beyond human comprehension. Even as I insisted that my own little contribution to the campaign for the return of the girls (Chibok girls: still on my mind) which features at the bottom right corner of this column since the girls were abducted be retained whenever space seemed to be a constraint, I almost gave up hope that those girls would ever return to reunite with their parents.

    But the parents of the Chibok girls who have returned know better. One can only imagine how expectant both the girls and their parents would have been when told they were going to reunite again. It must have seemed like a dream. But the dream turned to reality on October 13. They experienced it and if you ask them, even those who never believed in miracles among them will tell you they now do. The tears of joy; a mother backing her grown-up daughter like a baby; fathers hugging their daughters, etc. tell the story of the miraculous reunion. These are reactions that are uncommon and which depict the mood of the moment.

    Lest we forget, about 276 girls were initially seized by the terrorists that fateful night, but scores escaped in the hours after the kidnapping. Another 19 year-old was found with her four-month-old baby early this year. The girls’ abduction drew global attention to the terror war in Nigeria, with US’ First Lady Michelle Obama joining the #BringBackOurGirls online movement.

    The Boko Haram insurgency has claimed more than 20,000 lives and displaced 2.6 million people from their homes since 2009 when Boko Haram took up arms against the Nigerian government. So, for the girls to have survived the ordeals in the hands of their captors means that they are destined for something in life. It is like someone who has gone to the lion’s den and returned. They are lucky indeed.

    And to think that this was what some people toyed with; this was what people who should have stopped the terrorists a long time before much havoc was done shared the money meant for purchase of arms and an army general even had the temerity to tell us that all they owed the soldiers was a rifle each and that they could have summarily tried and executed those of them who deserted the war front ostensibly for lack or arms all within five minutes! God will certainly have a lot of cases to attend to on the Day of Judgment.  To borrow the phrase of our former First Lady, Patience Jonathan, “there is God o!

    We cannot but congratulate the Buhari government for this breakthrough. But this is just the beginning; the government should not relent in its efforts to bring back home the remaining 198 girls still in captivity.  As we celebrate, we cannot but remember the role of the #BringBackOurGirls  (BBOG) campaigners led by Oby Ezekwesili, for keeping  hope alive and serving as a constant reminder of the fact that these girls must be brought back home, sometimes to the point of being labelled as a bundle of irritants who see nothing good in the government. Kudos must also go to the external mediators, particularly the Swiss government for their inestimable role in facilitating contacts between representatives of the Nigerian government and intermediaries of Boko Haram on the release of the girls. Of course we cannot forget the role of the International Red Cross too in the event.

    But the government must realise that another phase of its duty to the girls is just about to begin. In a region known to be educationally disadvantaged, abducting girls from school must have done a lot of damage to the psyche of the students and their parents, and this could lead to fears about sending their female children to school again. This is bad for the region and the entire country because a situation where some sections are doing well educationally and others lag behind can only mean retrogression for the country.  Already, we see that manifest in several ways, whether in admission to tertiary institutions where entry points are deliberately lowered for some sections to enable them meet up with others from other regions, or in Federal Government’s ministries and parastatals where relatively young graduates from certain areas rise faster in service not because they are better than their colleagues but because of where they come from. Indeed, this is why I sometimes wonder when the government talks about uniting Nigerians through a national programme like the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC). How do you explain it to two graduates who served and joined the civil service the same day when one begins to experience a meteoric rise because of his state or region of origin whereas the other who probably knows the job better crawls on the ladder of promotion? This, however, is not the issue for today.

    Back to the Chibok girls.

    It is gratifying that the Federal Government has decided to ‘adopt’ the girls, as it were and take responsibility for their education and welfare to whatever level they want to go. President Muhammadu Buhari said on Wednesday when he hosted them and their parents to lunch at Aso Rock: “These 21 girls will be given adequate and compre­hensive medical, nutritional and psychological care and support. The Federal Government will re­habilitate them, and ensure that their reintegration back into the society is done as quickly as pos­sible”, the president said.

    He added: “Aside from rescuing them, we are assuming the responsibility for their personal, educational and professional goals and ambitions in life. Obviously, it is not late for the girls to go back to school and continue the pursuit of their studies”. This is good talk; indeed, it could not have been better put. What is expected is for the government to walk the talk because, as the president rightly noted, “these dear daughters of ours have seen the worst that the world has to offer. It is now time for them to experience the best that the world can do for them. The government and all Nige­rians must encourage them to achieve their desired ambitions.”

    So help us God.

  • ‘How Boko Haram broke news of release to Chibok girls’

    ‘How Boko Haram broke news of release to Chibok girls’

    Freedom for the 21 Chibok girls released last week by Boko Haram was as dramatic as their seizure by the group over two years ago.

    Nothing on Wednesday, October 12, the eve of their release, suggested to them that the freedom they had longed and prayed for was around the corner.

    Their abductors simply woke them up early in the morning and got them lined up ,according to a report yesterday by the CNN quoting a parent of one of the girls.

    Then, the terrorists began to read out the names of the girls one by one.

    What followed was the news that they would be returning home to their loved ones.Just like that.

    The parent, who asked not to be named for safety concerns,  also said  that during their time with Boko Haram, the girls were forced to build their own basic shelter, using plastic bags for roofing.

    One of the Chibok schoolgirls, who refused to marry a Boko Haram fighter,  was told she would be killed. Her abductors had a change of heart and commuted her sentence to 100 lashes.

    President Muhammadu Buhari formally received the freed girls and their parents at the State House, Abuja on Wednesday with a pledge that the federal government  would assume full responsibility for their personal,educational and professional goals and ambitions in life.

    “These dear daughters of ours have seen the worst that the world has to offer. It is now time for them to experience the best that the world can do for them,” he said.

  • Imam urges Nigerians to pray for release of remaining Chibok girls

    Malam Muhammad Nafi’u, the Chief Imam of Nupe Road Central Mosque in Kaduna, has advised Nigerians to pray for the release of the remaining Chibok girls still in captivity of Boko Haram.

    Nafi’u made the appeal in Kaduna on Friday .

    He commended the Federal Government and the military for the release of the 21 Chibok girls.

    According to him, prayer is a key to everything that one thinks it is impossible; Allah will accept our prayers on this issue.

    “The Federal Government should re-double its efforts to see that all the abducted girls are set free unhurt and re-united with their families.

    “President Muhammadu Buhari’s fight against corruption should be commended; any person who is supporting corruption is an enemy of this country.

    “Buhari deserves the support of every Nigerian because to build a great country is our collective responsibility,’’ Nafi’u said.

    The cleric called on the Boko Haram insurgents to lay down their weapons and embrace peace.

    He called on Nigerians to stop abusing their leaders; rather they should be praying for them as well as peace and stability in the country.

    NAN recalls that 21 Chibok girls were released by the Boko Haram sect on Oct. 13, while negotiation is still on for the release of others in captivity.

  • Release of 21 Chibok girls excites Lagos women

    Release of 21 Chibok girls excites Lagos women

    • As group marches for President Buhari

    The African Arise For Change Network, a coalition of women groups on Friday expressed joy with the recent release of 21 Chibok girls, saying President Muhammadu Buhari and the Nigerian Military have indeed restored happiness to the homes of not only the Chibok girls’ families but every concerned mother in the country.

    The women who held what they described as a thank you rally for the release of the girls in Lagos urged Nigerians to continue supporting the government to ensure that the last of those being held by Boko Haram – other than the Chibok Girls are safely returned to their families.

    The group led a peaceful rally from Ikeja City Mall at Alausa to Lagos State governor’s office. addressing the rally, Executive Director of the group, Mrs Oluwatosin Bolarinwa commended the Nigerian military as well as the intelligence agencies that were instrumental in degrading the Boko Haram insurgency to the point where negotiation became possible, which eventually paved way for the release of the girls.

    Addressing the rally, Executive Director of the group, Mrs Oluwatosin Bolarinwa commended the Nigerian military as well as the intelligence agencies that were instrumental in degrading the Boko Haram insurgency to the point where negotiation became possible, which eventually paved way for the release of the girls.

    She paid special tribute to the families and loved ones of military personnel who paid the supreme price in the course of fighting the insurgents to ensure the girls regain their freedom.

    She said with this achievement, the federal government as led by President Muhammadu Buhari has turned around what many Nigerians had given up hope about.

    She said, “Our rally today is for no other reason than to say thank you to Mr President, you promised to bring the girls back and some of us were already losing hope when it was taking time but today we are beginning to see the wisdom of focusing on getting the girls out safely as opposed to applying brute force.

    “Thank you to the military, whose members sacrificed on countless occasions to keep the operation against the terrorists going. Thank you to the parents and families of the Chibok Girls for the many months of patience with Nigeria while their girls were held, hostage. Nothing is enough to compensate for countless nights of uncertain vigils.

    “This thank you rally will not be complete without us asking for more. We appeal to the government not to relent at this point. It should quicken the pace at which the remaining girls are freed from the terrorists.”

    According to her, the recent attacks by Boko Haram terrorists on soft targets are to create fear in the minds of our peoples that they are still around. She, however, said Nigerians are no longer afraid of them as our military has demonstrated enough capacity to be equal to any uprising by any unscrupulous element that rises up to challenge our humanity.

    She further appealed to the government not to bring the military operations against the insurgents to close simply on account of the girls being freed. According to her, some of the fighters are known hardliners who will not sign up to the peace deal.

    They were received by Mr Taiwo Ayedun, the Special Assistant to Ambode on civic engagement, who spoke on behalf of Governor Akinwunmi Ambode, saying: “We also want to say a very big thank you for your concern. It is a collective responsibility and we want to assure Nigerians that very soon the remaining girls will join their parents at home.

  • Freed Chibok girls and us

    SIR: “You don’t need a weatherman to know which way the wind blows,” Bob Dylan sang. But Nigerians need a guide to believe that the abducted Chibok girls were truly kidnapped. Dishearteningly, for me, is when I see women who by their nature should be drawn to the plight of women and humanity say that the kidnap is a hoax. No thanks to the north versus south divide.

    If it was a scam, it would have taken the government’s guile to be met with more guile from the girls’ parents that I saw on national television on the day of their reunion. The ashen-faces, cries and shouts of joy from the parents might have taken long to master. And the testaments from the girls would have been debunked by the Chibok community.

    My advice to the government is simple: real soldiers do not glory over victory, and are never cowardly under the burden of defeat. The release of these girls shouldn’t be celebrated to a frenzied pitch. Many people are daily kidnapped in Nigeria and it is a failure of domestic governance. The release of the 21 Chibok girls and negotiations afoot for the remaining girls is a rights and not a privilege.

    It was Albert Einstein who said that, “there are only two ways to live your life. One is as though nothing is a miracle. The other is as though everything is a miracle.” I appreciate the former. We must provide governance in the real sense and avoid the skulduggery which led to their kidnap in the first place.

    I wish those who do not believe that the girls were kidnapped can turn tail from cynicism to objectivity; to be honorable enough to honour fellow Nigerians in times of grief.

    For according to Rebbe Nachman of Breslov, “If you are not a better person tomorrow than you are today, what need have you for a tomorrow?”

    Nigeria can’t be better if we all live only for ourselves and not for something or someone.

     

    • Simon Abah,

    Port Harcourt.