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Tag: Chibok girls

  • Insensitive vacillation over Chibok girls

    Insensitive vacillation over Chibok girls

    JUDGING from President Muhammadu Buhari’s loaded but airy statement on the Chibok abductions a little over a week ago in Nairobi, Kenya, Nigerians and parents of the 219 abducted Chibok schoolgirls owe the BringBackOurGirls campaigners a debt of gratitude for keeping the matter on the front burner. The president’s statement seemed to suggest that beyond the fine content of his empathy, the government was doing abysmally little to rescue the girls. According to the president: “I have made a couple of comments on the Chibok girls and it seems to me that much of it has been politicised. What we said is that the government which I preside over is prepared to talk to bona fide leaders of Boko Haram. If they do not want to talk to us directly, let them pick an internationally recognised Non-Governmental Organisation (NGO), convince them that they are holding the girls and that they want Nigeria to release a number of Boko Haram leaders in detention, which they are supposed to know. If they do it through the ‘modified leadership’ of Boko Haram and they talk with an internationally recognised NGO, then Nigeria will be prepared to discuss their release.”

    For a long time, discussions on the abduction had centred on whether to swap the girls for Boko Haram detainees or not. Those who quibbled the most on the matter did not of course have their daughters under Boko Haram captivity. The insurgents themselves periodically upload stories about the girls on YouTube to pressure the government into finding an accommodation with the sect. But beyond responding fitfully to the Boko Haram video releases, the government has not giving any indication it knows where the girls are, not to talk of rescuing them. Sometimes the government gives grand indications of working behind closed doors to stage a magnificent covert operation, but often the hopes and the highfalutin statements that follow soon fizzle out. For the Chibok parents and BBOG campaigners, the YouTube reminders of their searing pains, and the ebb and flow of their hopes and frustrations, have become unbearable. Some of them are dead, others are battling with various health challenges, and yet others simply can’t tell whether the government was not being nonchalant all along.

    Now, sadly, Chibok parents who speculate about the government’s sincerity and efforts on the matter will, after the president’s Kenyan statement, confirm their own worst fears. As the BBOG campaigners fumed a day after the president’s public handwringing, the Buhari presidency had unwisely surrendered the initiative on the girls’ rescue to the insurgents. Not only was the president unsure of who to negotiate with, despite the handful of sources offering help at no cost, he was also unsure of what the leadership structure in Boko Haram now looked like. If he was given intelligence briefing on the matter, especially on the girls’ whereabouts or the sect’s new leaders, his statements did not betray that prized fact. Worse, in a moment of lack of caution, he seemed to indicate that his knowledge of some of the things happening in the Boko Haram enclave was based on press reports.

    If a small, shadowy panel or task force charged with the urgent task of rescuing the abducted girls exists, the government has apparently and needlessly decided to guard that secret. Why that should be so is hard to say. One of the Chibok parents had publicly questioned the competence of the president, and many others, including the BBOG campaigners, have criticised the president for doing little to free the girls. It is not clear whether these criticisms have had any impact on the government. For, so far, there has been no change in the status of the girls beyond the hope by the government that once Boko Haram is totally defeated, the girls will be found, even if not intact.

    It has taken so long for the government to make up its mind to swap the girls for Boko Haram commanders. Let them now be decisive about the exchange, and be prepared to live with the consequences. Their excuse must not be that they cannot find reliable intermediaries. They should task a panel with the responsibility of looking for and ascertaining the bona fides of those intermediaries. In addition, they must approach the whole exercise with caution and urgency. They have a responsibility to the nation to shorten the agony of the girls and their parents. Enough of the dithering and doublespeak

  • Chibok girls: Troops block Boko Haram’s supply routes

    Chibok girls: Troops block Boko Haram’s supply routes

    The Nigerian Army and the Multinational Joint Task Force (MNJTF) are tightening the noose round the  neck of Boko Haram  in the Lake Chad area, according to indications yesterday.

    The troops  have blocked all supply routes to the insurgents in the build-up to the next stage   of liberating the over 200 Chibok girls abducted two years ago by the terrorists.

    The blockade covers arms, ammunition and other logistics, highly placed sources told The Nation.

    The  number of  MNJTF troops deployed in the Lake Chad Basin by Nigeria, Cameroon, Chad and Niger Republic  had hit   10,500 by yesterday.

    The MNJTF forces are receiving intelligence and reconnaissance assistance  from France, Britain and the United States.

    Nigeria has already released $80miilion (N33.440billion) of  the $100million it pledged to revitalize the MNJTF.

    A top military source confirmed last night that the blockade was part of the ongoing Operation Crackdown against the insurgents.

    But he explained that the troops   could not move  now  into the targeted part of Sambisa Forest because of the rains.

    Sources said the marshy nature of the  area makes movement difficult at this time of the year.

    Said one of the sources:“There is no doubt about the fact that we have blocked all supply routes of Boko Haram. These include supply of arms, ammunition and other logistics. If we don’t do so, we won’t have recorded the success at hand.

    “This is not just a Nigerian issue;we have been able to bring our neighbouring countries on board. We are all working collectively for peace in  the Lake Chad Basin.

    “We now have about 10,500 troops in the MNJTF already deployed in Lake Chad Basin in order to make it a battle to the finish.

    “Some people did not believe that the MNJTF and the Nigerian Army could  succeed in defeating Boko Haram to this extent. We are, however, not relenting in our Operation Crackdown.”

    The Federal Government  has already released about $86million (N33.440bn at N418 to a US$) of the $100million it pledged to the MNJTF.

    The Secretary-General of the Lake Chad Basin Commission, Engineer Sanusi Imran Abdullahi, made the disclosure when the Chief of Army Staff, Lt. Gen. Tukur Yusuf Buaratai, visited him in N’djamena.

    The President had, in June 2015, approved the initial remittance of $21million.

    The sum went up to  $86million by August 30 this year.

    “This funding is part of what has helped the MNJTF to record a breakthrough against Boko Haram,” the source added.

    Buhari had, on January 28, in Addis Ababa made the disclosure at a high-level meeting of the African Union Peace and Security Council in Ethiopia.

    He said: “Without peace, there will be no development. It is, therefore, vital for all of us to join hands in taking appropriate measures to end the conflicts and bring a stop to the incalculable damage being inflicted on innocent citizens in the affected countries.”

    On the liberation of Chibok girls, the source claimed that a lot was being done by troops to locate and free them with other captives.

    “We are working very hard. We have been following every lead, including information that they are in Sambisa Forest. Due to rainy season, we cannot move in now because if you are on foot, you cannot move more than 20 metres before you get stuck.

    “Our troops have families too; they know what it takes to have these girls in captivity. We will do our best for these girls and will surmount all obstacles to set them free. That is why we are annoyed with those who have links with the insurgents.

    “As soon as we are in the dry season, we will move into  the Sambisa Forest for a massive battle. As soon as it is accessible, we will go inside.

    “We also have a joint partnership with France, Britain and the United States. They are assisting us with intelligence and reconnaissance in our operations against Boko Haram.”

    On the planned  swapping of girls with Boko Haram commanders, the military source quipped: “That is a political issue; I am not for that. Leave this to political leadership. We are continuing with our operations.”

    When contacted, the Army spokesman, Col. Kukasheka Usman, said: “We are on red alert 24 hours against the insurgents not only to free the Chibok girls but all captives and win the war once and for all.

    “We are doing the best we could. Actually, so much is being done with other countries.”

  • BBOG plans protest March in Abuja

    BBOG plans protest March in Abuja

    Concerned by what they perceive as ‘benumbing apathy’ to the cause of rescuing Chibok girls, members of the “Bring Back Our Girls” advocacy movement are now planning a mega protest march in Abuja.

    According to leaders of the group, Mrs. Obi Ezekwesili, Hajia Aisha Yusuf and Dr. Emman Shehu, a peaceful protest march will take place on Tuesday.

    Chairman of Kibaku Area Development Association, a communal initiative founded by people from Chibok and surrounding areas in Borno state told The Nation that in addition to government’s apathy, many people from his area who are resident in Abuja now appear indifferent to the Chibok girls’ cause.

    Speaking with The Nation at the unity Fountain, Abuja where they organized a sit-out before Jumat prayers on Friday, Dr. Emman Shehu stated that although they had begun a ‘Fortnight of Strategic Engagements’ on August 22, next Tuesday’s rally is meant to boost their advocacy effort.

    On Friday evening, Shekh Abdulfatai Adeyemi  led BBOG members in Islamic prayers at the Unity Fountain while Mrs. Ezekwesili and Hajia Aisha Yusuf also urged members to attend Christian prayer meeting at the same venue on Sunday and mobilise for Tuesday’s protest march.

    “Islamic and Christian Prayers are part of the advocacy; it is an advocacy of prayer and faith that God called us for.

    “We are not among those that rely on our human capabilities alone; neither are we among those who think one should leave everything for God without making efforts,” Ezekwesili said.

    Also, Hajia Aisha Yusuf emphasized that in a season where individuals and government disappoint, the best thing to do is to renew efforts and prayers.

    “We are urging all to attend the Islamic and Christian prayers because we believe that prayers can set our nation on a good course, touch even the insurgency and ensure the release of our girls,” she added.

    As usual, policemen in three vans stayed within earshot of the BBOG campaigners at Unity Fountain, near Transcorp-Hilton hotel in Abuja on Friday.

  • Coalition pleads for release of Chibok Girls

    The Coalition Against Terrorism and Extremism (CATE) has appealed to Ahmed Salkida, a journalist, and activists Aisha Wakil and Ahmed Bolori, to help secure the release of the Chibok Girls from Boko Haram insurgents.

    CATE also appealed to the Bring Back Our Girls (BBOG) group, which has been in the vanguard of the release campaign, to direct its planned protest at Salkida, Wakil and Bolori.

    A statement yesterday by its National Coordinator Gabriel Onoja said the trio possibly knew more about Boko Haram than the security agencies believed.

    The statement reads: “We want the abducted girls back now that their captors have released a video to convince the world that many of them are still alive. The abduction is evil and the girls’ travails are felt by Nigerians. This is why it is painful that after more than two years and despite several operations, promises, failed negotiations and dashed expectations, the girls are still captives.

    “We must note that despite the girls still being held captive, we appreciate efforts by the military in defeating the terrorists; the way they degraded the group’s fighting capabilities. This imminent defeat is likely the reason Boko Haram is now using the girls as a bait to stall further military operations against them and to have time to regroup.

    “We have also seen something the country overlooked since the abduction – there are Nigerians that have the information about the girls, and who possibly know more about Boko Haram insurgency than the security agencies once had cause to believe. They declared Ahmad Salkida, Aisha Wakil and Ahmed Bolori wanted in connection with the information they have about the whereabouts of the girls and Boko, considering the unfettered access they have to the terrorists.

    “The refreshed leadership of Bring Back Our Girls (BBOG) group has also been reported to have similar information and some measure of access to the terrorists.

    “Coalition Against Terrorism and Extremism, therefore, appeal to the trio and other persons with direct link to Boko Haram to prevail on them to release the girls unconditionally. The girls, their families and the country have suffered enough.

    “We extend the same appeal to BBOG; it should use its connections to appeal to Salkida, Wakil and Bolori to help end the nightmare that has become the daily lives of these children. “Nigerians should please beg the trio and BBOG because time is running out and the defeated terrorists are becoming increasingly more desperate. This has been exacerbated by the knowledge that their contacts in the outside world are now known to the authorities. We should all appeal to human conscience of those involved as time is no longer on our side.”

  • Air chief: we’ve not given up on Chibok girls

    Air chief: we’ve not given up on Chibok girls

    Chief of Air Staff (CAS) Air Marshal Sadique Baba Abubakar yesterday described as “technically deficient” the Boko Haram video showing how some of the abducted 215 Chibok girls were killed in aerial bombings.

    Air Marshal Abubakar said the military had not given up on its search for the girls, adding that the Air Force has flown for about 2,600 hours between January and August 17.

    The Air Force, he said, plans to acquire Intelligence Surveillance and Reconnaissance (ISR) equipment, which can be airborne for 33 hours with sophisticated cameras.

    The Air Force chief said planes had been deployed in the Niger Delta in readiness for an operation which will begin “very shortly”, but the planes will not bomb the region. They will protect oil and gas infrastructure and the people.

    Air Marshal Abubakar, who spoke with reporters at the NAF Conference Centre in Abuja, said “all of us are passionate about the Chibok girls, we want to set them free from the insurgents,” adding:

    “As for the latest video clip by the insurgents, this is cheap propaganda. Even the IED  that they developed, have you ever seen a complete body together after  an explosion on any location

    “Even the Improvised Explosive Devices (IED), the crudest form of bomb, you put there and sometimes you go there,  you don’t see anything after an explosion not to talk of a 250kg bomb. What they  used in the IED, how many kilogrammes are we talking about? It is insignificant.

    “Someone even told me:  ‘I saw one of the girls moving her head.’ I said , well I didn’t see that. What I can tell you is that just looking at the way they did it (the video clip), it could not have been something after an airstrike. If you drop a bomb, there is a crater, where is the crater?

    “If you drop a bomb, within certain meters of the point of impact, everybody there will be gone and will be shredded in most cases, depending on the type of bomb, where it is dropped and the kind of configuration you used to do the bombing.

    “But if you now neatly arrange people and said  these people were killed by air strikes, it does not make sense at all. Let people ask themselves. They have seen IED explosions, have they ever seen live bodies kept intact together. “

    Air Marshal Abubakar said the video clip was to whip up sentiments, stating: “Why? It is because they know that every Nigerian  is concerned about these Chibok girls. I have daughters and sometimes when I look at my daughters, I remember those girls.. You understand.

    “There is  no day that the sun rises and sets that we don’t go out hoping to see these girls.

    “Why do we do that? First, we were hoping that through intelligence, we might be able to capture the movement of those girls.  Maybe through that Intelligence Surveillance and Reconnaissance (ISR), we will be able to locate what we consider ‘legitimate targets’.

    “Somebody asked of  collateral damage. There is no military operation without collateral damage.  Even in the most advanced countries of the world,  sometimes you find collateral damage. We are not saying that everything is perfect, what  we are saying is that we are taking every step humanly possible within available resources, to ensure that we have a clear understanding of the battle space  and we are able to determine the legitimate targets to be attacked.

    “We don’t go out specifically to attack civilians. Like I said counter-insurgency is about winning hearts and minds. The thing at the back of our heads is that  make sure,  as much as possible, you look out for  the criminals. How do you do that? Use your ISR platforms.

    “And we thank God, with the coming of the present administration, the situation has improved. In the past we used to have two ISR platforms but now we  have about five. And very soon, we are going to acquire one  that can remain airborne for 33 hours with cameras looking everywhere. So,  you cannot escape. That is why I keep telling  these criminals, the time for you  to  escape is almost over.

    “So, for the girls, definitely it has nothing to do with air strikes. After an air strike, you will not see anything like the way they displayed. Maybe because the insurgents are used to fighting on land, they don’t know air battle. They think they can drop anything and it will make sense. No.”

    Pressed further on the situation in Sambisa Forest, Air Marshal Abubakar said: “The forest alone  is about 60,000 square kilometres. You can see the difficulty that is involved in making sure  that you cover every square inch of that forest.

    “ It extends even into Cameroon. That was why sometimes in the past the insurgents do whatever and sneaked into Cameroon.   But now Cameroon has been hot for them and they are coming back.

    “We still fly over Sambisa Forest on regular basis but  there are issues with the terrain. The terrain is difficult for land forces. You can discuss that with the Chief of Army Staff. For us in the Air Force, we are not limited by the terrain. We simply fly over and see what is happening.

    “But I can tell you that Sambisa Forest is substantially deserted. From what we  have been seeing from our ISR pictures, it is extremely difficult to say the place can be occupied especially now. What we are targeting, God willing,  is that  at the end of the rainy season it will be much easier for these equipment to move in.

    “I believe that towards the end of the year, during dry season, it will be much easier to move in substantially. The problem is that water collects in the forest.”

    Asked if there is any intelligence report that the girls are in Sambisa Forest, he said: “Honestly, we don’t . That is the truth of the matter.

    “Even if you see women in Sambisa Forest that are dressed in hijab, how are you sure they are women and not men? The insurgents can lure you into coming in thinking that the girls are there and it is only when you get there that they remove their hijab and you will see that they are men with  their rifles. And that is one of the tricks of war. They want to remain alive and they want to kill you.

    “So, there is no credible intelligence that will specifically tell you that these girls are here. All of us are passionate about these girls, on daily basis, we search for them. We are working, I believe we will get there one day.”

    The air force chief said the Air Force was trying to manufacture Nigerian made Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAV), otherwise called drones.

    He said: “We will get there one day. We have started by developing the Nigerian-made UAV. The whole design, including engineering was done by Nigerians, no foreign intervention. We also recognised that to put together these ideas, you need machines and these machines might not be available.

    “Right now, we have a team training in the United States (U.S.) on aircraft manufacturing. They have been there since last year. It is something that will take some time but at least, we are building capacity. But for now, the main focus now is to operationalize the UAV. We have been using the Chinese UAV, the CH3, and we are also getting the additional one that will help us in our fight.”

    Responding to a question, Air Marshal Abubakar said planes being deployed in the Niger Delta would protect lives and oil and gas infrastructure, adding that the mission is “not to bomb Niger Delta”.

    He said: “The issue of Southsouth operation. The talks, negotiations, meetings and so on are political issues; I am not competent to really express an opinion on that.

    “But what I can tell you is that our mandate, by the constitution, is to ensure that we protect the territorial integrity of Nigeria and ensure that the Nigerian people are able to go about pursuing their legitimate aspirations and goals without any hindrance.

    “On what we are doing in the Southsouth, we already have airplanes in the Southsouth that is supporting the operation which the Defence Headquarters (DHQ) is handling.

    “What we are doing is to give protection, as much as possible, to oil and gas infrastructure and to also protect the communities. On whether we are going to start bombing Niger Delta, no. we are not going to bomb Niger Delta but we are going to protect Niger Delta people and the oil and gas infrastructure as much as possible. When are we starting?  Very shortly, we are just planning, very shortly.”

    On porous borders in the Northwest and Northeast, Air Marshal Abubakar said the Air Force was looking into it with the Nigerian Immigration Service (NIS).

    “I agree with you that the Northwest and the Northeast are a very large area. We have been discussing with the Nigerian Immigration Service. The Comptroller of Immigration Service came and we discussed the issue of how we can protect our borders.

    If we are able to actualise our UAV programme, we have the means to produce as many as we want. Once we have many, we will be able to assist as many agencies as possible.

    “It is just the prioritsation that matters. We want to acquire Super Tucano aircraft to replace the Alpha Jets. The plan has been there but since we don’t produce the aircraft, we cannot talk of timeline. But now, we have to make the best use of what is available. That you have money does not mean you must go to a shop to buy aircraft. Those who will sell must be willing to sell to you too.”

  • Chibok girls: Security agencies probe new clues

    Chibok girls: Security agencies probe new clues

    The military and other security agencies are extending their probe of   those with suspected links with Boko Haram and who may  know the whereabouts of the 215 missing Chibok girls.

    The army this week declared three Nigerians – Aisha Wakil, Amb. Ahmed Umar Bolori and a journalist, Ahmed Salkida- wanted following the last release of a video message by the terror sect showing some of the girls.

    Aisha Wakil and Bolori have already made themselves available to the authorities and were subsequently granted administrative bails.

    Salkida, who resides in Dubai, promised to come home at the earliest opportunity.

    However,The Nation gathered last night that the trio are being  watch-listed by the military.

    The implication is that they  can be arrested by security agencies if and when necessary.

    Highly placed sources also said the Federal Government is considering  whether to renew the international passport of Salkida which expired on August 16.

    The Nigerian Embassy in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) was yet to get security clearance on Salkida’s passport yesterday.

    Investigation by our correspondent revealed that the military and security agencies are looking at more clues on Nigerians and foreigners  with Boko Haram links who know the whereabouts of the Chibok girls.

    It was learnt that the military and security agencies are suspecting that these  persons and groups could  be networking with the insurgents.

    It was, however, gathered that the government had sought assistance from a Western nation to checkmate its citizens’ access to Boko Haram.

    The foreign  country,sources said, was able to confirm that some Nigerians had been serving as couriers for the insurgents.

    Said the source: “Beyond the declaration of three people wanted, we are probing more clues. It is becoming obvious that some persons or groups are networking or serving as couriers for Boko Haram.

    “The release of the video clip on the Chibok girls has opened a lot of intelligence windows to look at in collaboration with international security agencies.

    “The military and the security agencies will rise to the latest challenge at hand in order to liberate the Chibok girls from these insurgents.”

    Asked to be specific, the source added: “The fact that we have invited three people for interaction is the beginning of fresh attempts by the military and security agencies to analyze the intelligence at our disposal and probe more clues.

    “There are many options. We want to conduct our investigation with civility, respect for human rights, fair hearing and in conformity with international best practices.”

    Meanwhile, findings confirmed last night that the Federal Government was weighing options on whether or not to renew the international passport of Ahmed Salkida.

    The passport of Salkida, who has expressed willingness to appear before the army, has expired.

    According to an immigration service profile on Salkida, his passport expired on August 16.

    The dossier also indicated that Salkida’s residence permit in the UAE is also close to expiration.

    Another source said: “As a Nigerian, Salkida is entitled to the renewal of his passport at the discretion of the government. It is not automatic.

    “Having been declared wanted by the army, the state has to weigh all options  before renewing the passport or not.

    “The quickest option is for the Nigerian Embassy in the UAE to grant Salkida Emergency Travel Certificate(ETC) to enable him to honour the invitation of the army and renew his passport at home.

    “So, the passport renewal is however not a hindrance.

    “If Salkida renews his passport at our mission in the UAE, we are not sure if he will seek asylum,since he has been declared wanted, or come to Nigeria. Some international agencies can grant him asylum if he wants.”

  • Chibok Girls: Time to break the rule

    The latest video released by Boko Haram showing a section of the missing Chibok girls should serve as incentive for deeper introspection. At the official level, perhaps the moment has come to rethink a counter strategy that increasingly looks impotent, if not suspect; even as public communication is weaned of words that now sound more like broken record.

    In the eleven-minute-long recording, the Abubakar Shekau-led faction unambiguously restated its old demand that its members held across the country be released as pre-condition for the release of the over 200 remaining Chibok girls. As usual, a masked guy (Shekau?) in military fatigue is shown blustering beside the girls who look expressionless in hijab against an eerie black backdrop.

    No prize for guessing the possible motives behind Shekau’s latest stunt. Like any movement not inspired by an enduring or lofty value, the accursed Boko Haram (BH) is obviously already choking on its grotesque contradictions. With ISIS seeking to disrobe him by naming Abu Musab al-Barnawi as the new leader, it is evident the bloodthirsty fugitive is desperate for a pitch to demonstrate his nuisance value to the Nigerian authorities.

    True, hostage-taking in Nigeria did not start in April 2014 with the Chibok girls. But with the twists and turns witnessed in the past 28 months, this should be the most dramatized in human history. It is like a slow-motion horror movie. The spectacle of aggrieved mothers fellowshipping periodically, holding vigil, at a hearing distance from Aso Rock gates in Abuja has become a constant source of national embarrassment.

    Well, we are free to elect to live blissfully in denial by conveniently making generous allowance for Shekau’s blustering in the latest video and the possible exaggerations – like claims that Nigeria’s airstrike had killed many of the girls. But the next footage in the flick should be enough to sting us back to cold reality: the face and voice of one of the captives, Dorcas Yakubu.

    Speaking both Hausa and her native Kibaku in a voice that strikingly sounds accustomed to the tragic fate she and others find themselves, the teenager urged parents to “be patient and beg the government to release their people, so that we’ll also be released.”

    Caught between joy at a proof their daughter is still alive and sorrow at the thought of the unthinkable she must have endured in the past 28 months, Dorcas’ parents, Mr. & Mrs. Kabu Yakubu, could only afford to make a loud sigh in Abuja after watching the new video. Their testimony: “We cried when we saw our daughter but we’ll sleep better now.”

    They spoke from the very depth of anguish every true parent will feel.

    For others who could not see or hear their loved ones, the nightmare obviously continues.

    Today, what however remains unknown is if, beyond the mouthing of platitudes and shedding of crocodile tears, anyone in Abuja truly feels the kind of soul-wrenching pain parents of the Chibok girls have endured in the past 28 months to want to literally move mountains to free the captives.

    The dumbest apology to give today is to say Buhari is ready to negotiate with BH but is handicapped over which faction to talk to. Unless the government wants us to believe its intelligence-gathering capacities and capabilities are dead and so now fit only for the cemetery.

    Legion stories are told of how western nations like Britain had passed credible intelligence to the Jonathan administration on the precise location of the Chibok girls earlier in the day but, as usual, it refused to lift a finger until it became too late. In fact, one account states that the girls were initially camped on the other side of the river for several days in April 2014 without any intervention by the authorities until they were presumably herded deep into the dreaded Sambisa forest.

    But lamenting missed opportunities is no longer defensible today. What we want now is result by any means necessary, realizing that each passing day means a continuation of their abuse in captivity.

    Elsewhere in the west, the mere echo of Mr. & Mrs. Yakubu’s words, to say nothing of the sheer spectacle of their presence, would be enough to drive leaders into extra-ordinary exertions with a view to liberating citizens so held in bondage, anywhere. In the circumstance, such leaders begin to pick and choose sections of the Geneva Convention to obey.

    Officially, the tendency is for western nations to openly pontificate that ransom-payment in turn fuels terrorism. That cash paid is soon invested by the receivers to buy new weapons and finance training. But unofficially, countries like Italy, Germany, France and Spain are known to have paid ransoms through private companies to free their nationals from terrorists, convinced that the end ultimately justifies the means.

    UK, for instance, is known to turn a blind eye if relations or companies slipped cash to have their loved ones freed. That was how Judith Tebbuth’s release was secured in 2012. In 2014, the same tactic was employed to secure the release of teacher David Bolam from the clutches of ISIL in Libya.

    Same year in the US, the Obama administration swapped five Al-Qaeda suspects held at the Guantanamo detention facility for one American soldier, Sergeant Bowe Bergdahl, after five years in captivity, whipping the sentiment of an ironclad commitment “to leave no man or woman in uniform behind on the battlefield”. Washington engaged the government of Qatar as the go-between in the indirect negotiations.

    Decades earlier, the Reagan administration did something far more unorthodox to free seven US hostages held by Iranian terrorists in Lebanon. Despite subsisting arms embargo against Tehran, Washington opted to sell arms secretly to Iran during its war with Iraq in a complicated covert deal that soon birthed the Iran-Contra scandal. Once the illicit cargoes began to berth in Tehran, three of the US hostages in Beirut were let off, though three more were taken in what a Washington top official later described cynically as “hostage bazaar”.

    More filth surfaced in 1986 after a Lebanese newspaper blew the whistle on the secret deal. Not only was Reagan exposed, it was also discovered that only $12m out of the expected $30m had reached government coffers. It soon came to light that the balance had been diverted to fund the contra rebels being propped by Washington to combat the communist government in Nicaragua since the US congress had outlawed such direct monetary aid through formal channel.

    To be fair, President Buhari only inherited the Chibok girls issue. Still, the government deserves credit for rallying a relentless campaign against BH in the past fifteen months so much that relative peace has now returned to the hitherto beleaguered North-East, even as it is left to face a huge refugee crisis. But to suggest that the war is now totally over as the military high command is wont to claim lately with the over 200 Chibog girls still unaccounted for is to miss the human angle to the historic tragedy.

    One lesson the Buhari people appear not to have learnt from the Jonathan mishap is rehashing the same rhetoric each time the Chibok girls question is raised. The other day the Information Minister reassured that the government was still on top of the situation. Well, Lai Mohammed just said what is expected of him. Really, no one can say the president has forgotten the Chibok girls. After all, he gave a plum appointment to one of the conveners of the BringBackOurGirls Group. And since Ms. Hadiza Usman assumed duties as the Managing Director of the Nigerian Ports Authority, at least one of the eloquent BBOG voices has since become muted. Even if she is not too engrossed sorting cargoes at the Lagos ports to forget or have time to attend the BBOG fellowships in Abuja, her presence there today will certainly be incongruous.

    Really, what the aggrieved parents desire and indeed deserve is not just tons of nice words from Mohammed. If truly the government is quietly moving mountains to get the girls released, it ought to device an effective channel the information is shared with the traumatized. Had this been the case, it is doubtful if Oby Ezekwesili and other committed activists will continue to speak so bitterly each time they congregate at the Unity Square in Abuja.  But for the uncommon patriotic zeal of these volunteers, perhaps the memory of the abducted would have long faded, if not totally extinguished, by now.

    Again, whoever counseled the Army authorities to publicly declare wanted last Sunday three individuals known to have links with Boko Haram did the nation a disservice. If the measure was intended to project the authorities as being proactive, it has surely backfired. For no sooner had the announcement been made than the duo of Mrs. Aisha Wakil (aka Mama Boko Haram) reported at the Defence Headquarters in Abuja and lawyer Ahmed Bolori turned himself in at the Army Headquarters in Maiduguri. Journalist Ahmad Salkida expressed willingness to travel down from his Dubai base once he receives ticket fare.

    Mama Boko Haram, for instance, soon expressed disgust that the Army could go ahead and declare her wanted like a fugitive when, according to her, they knew her address and how to reach her.

    The Army spokesman later explained that the trio were invited out of a belief that they knew more than they were willing to share vis-a-vis the location of the abducted. A claim the accused did not deny. From the utterances of Mrs. Wakil and Bolori after meeting with the military authorities, it would appear they are more than willing to be engaged in the search to rescue the missing girls. The trio is not alone. A serving senator, Shehu Sani, is also known to have links with the BH leaders. Rather than alienate or demonize them, such individuals ought to be co-opted into the search for the missing girls as a matter of national urgency.

    In the unlikely event that all the remaining captives are being assembled in one location, given the young lives involved, let it however be stressed that no one is advocating a re-enactment of the daring Entebbe raid of 1976 when Israeli commandos stormed Uganda’s International Airport in Kampala to free 100 of their nationals being held hostage by pro-Palestinian gunmen. After a 35-minute fire-fight, the toll exacted was not only heavy in human but also in material terms: three hostages lay dead beside seven hijackers, twenty Ugandan troops and the leader of the invading unit, Lt. Colonel Yonatan Netanyahu (brother of future Israeli Prime Minister). Completely wrecked also were eleven Russian-built MiG fighters of the Ugandan Air Force.

    Nor can anyone afford a repeat of the Moscow solution applied in Russia in October 2002 following the hijack of a theatre by some 50 Chechen rebels. A record 700 theatre-goers were taken hostage. After a 57-hour-standoff at the Palace of Culture, the Russian special forces who had surrounded the hall were at their wits’ end. In what became one if the worst rescue operations in history, they resorted to the quick fix by simply lobbing a pipe into the hall through which a lethal narco gas was discreetly sprayed. By the time the fume settled, no fewer than 120 hostages and most of the militants had been wasted.  The official defense was that gassing was the most prudent option in the circumstance to disarm the militants before they had time to detonate their explosives.

    In the two foregoing scenarios, the casualty toll was quite heavy. While no one will at this point prescribe a similar raid on the location where the Chibok girls might be kept, several other options remain open to Abuja with a view to quickly bringing a closure to what has clearly become one of the darkest chapters in the nation’s history. Swapping, as already mooted by the affected, is not a bad idea.

    In case President Buhari is still unaware, the hour has finally come to bring back our girls.

  • NAF denies killing of Chibok girls, releases video

    NAF denies killing of Chibok girls, releases video

     

     

    The Nigerian Air Force (NAF) Tuesday described a video released by Boko Haram purportedly showing NAF fighter jets killing some of the abducted Chibok girls as a ruse and a mischievous effort by the sect to draw public attention to itself.

    In a statement signed by Group Captain Ayodele Famuyiwa, NAF Director of Public Relations, the Air Force said the video provided no evidence that the supposed casualty was a result of air to ground attack.

    He said the video was a make-up story to discredit the NAF and more importantly to whip up public sentiments for the terrorist sect.

    In a video posted online on Sunday, Boko Haram had claimed that the NAF air strikes had killed some of the girls and promised to release a video of the killing.

    The NAF however yesterday released its own video showing its precision target attack while maintaining that it’s planes only target confirmed terrorists.

    Famuyiwa said: “It is pertinent to state that the video is not only a ruse but another mischievous effort by the dying sect to draw public attention to itself. Whereas the video showed a cross section of the abducted girls and an airborne aircraft, it provided no evidence that the supposed casualties were as a result of any air to ground attack.

    “More so, there is sufficient evidence to believe that the casualties were arranged as the positioning of the bodies clearly defies any natural setting of a location that has undergone aerial bombardment. Besides, the impact and accompanying degree of damage to the bodies would have been more, were they to have died from air strike.

    “It is therefore clear that the video is a make-up story to discredit the NAF, and more importantly, a deliberate effort to weep up sentiment among the public in order to dissuade and discontinue the use of airpower which has proved very effective as the major determinant factor in the successes recorded in the ongoing counter insurgency operations in the North East,” he said.

    Famuyiwa reiterated that the NAF has put-in place a number of measures to avoid the incidence of collateral damage.

    He said considerable effort is committed to undertaking Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance (ISR) missions, both day and night, to ensure that only legitimate military targets are engaged.

    The spokesperson said where there are doubts about target status, the NAF will not undertake strike missions.

    Famuyiwa assured Nigerians living in the vicinity of NAF operations of their safety while urging them to disregard the video being circulated by Boko Haram.

  • Why Fed Govt should swap Chibok girls for militants

    Why Fed Govt should swap Chibok girls for militants

    IF Kabu Yakubu and her wife, Esther, parents of one of the abducted Chibok schoolgirls, Dorcas, have their way, all detained Boko Haram fighters would be swapped for the more than 200 girls still being held by the militants.

    The duo yesterday urged President Muhammadu Buhari to free the militants in exchange for the girls, who were abducted on April 14, 2014, from their dormitory at Government Girls’ Secondary School in Chibok, Borno State.

    Their appeal came hours after watching her daughter speak in the new video released by the Boko Haram insurgents demanding the swap of their detained members with the Chibok girls

    The video posted by the insurgents on Sunday showed dozens of the 218 girls who were abducted two years ago, with one saying that “some” have died in air strikes by troops on the militants’ hideouts.

    They said the video rekindled their hope of reuniting with their daughter someday.

    Mrs. Yakubu was quoted as saying: “The Chibok girls must be rescued. They must have their lives, the future that Boko Haram tries to truncate.

    “I wanted her to have the best of education; I planned to sponsor her education to whatever level she wanted; but she could not sit for her final examinations because she was abducted.

    “Boko Haram in the video asked the government to release their members so that they could release our girls. If the government knows that it cannot handle the insurgency, it should invite other countries. It is not a crime to seek assistance in a war. It is a shame for them to allow our daughters to languish in captivity for over two years.

    “I don’t regret sending her to school, but I regret putting her in boarding school. If she was a day student, she would be home with me that night. The abduction affected her because she was in boarding school.”

    Apart from her daughter, Mrs. Yakubu said she recognised about 20 other girls in the latest video.

    Her words: “I recognised Saratu Ayuba, Awa Ishaiya and others. In that video, Dorcas has grown up a little and she is slimmer. I cried when I saw her in the video. That is only change I observe, but I thank God she is alive.

    “All the girls that have been rescued have rescued themselves. Not any government has rescued them, no army rescued them.”

    Echoing her wife, Mr Yakubu urged the government to release the detained Boko Haram members in exchange for the girls, saying that the demand had boosted his hope that his daughter and others would eventually make it home.

    His words: “I will sleep well because since she was kidnapped, I have never seen her in other videos released. But today (Sunday), I saw her in the video, and my joy was rekindled.

    “What we have been telling the government is what Boko Haram demanded in the video. We are appealing to the government to help us to release Boko Haram detainees so they can release our daughters.

    “In the video, my daughter was begging the government to negotiate with the terrorists and they (Boko Haram) said unless the government releases their members who were being detained in Abuja, Lagos and Maiduguri prisons, they won’t release the girls.”

    Dozens of the girls escaped on their own within hours of the mass abduction of 276 students that shocked the world.

    In May, a lone Chibok girl escaped from the Boko Haram stronghold in Sambisa Forest, saying she was led to freedom by her disillusioned Boko Haram ‘husband’.

    She was carrying a baby.

    The Bring Back Our Girls (#BBOG) campaigners are also pressing for a prisoner exchange, claiming that the President “rode to power” on the back of their cause, but has not done enough to free the girls.

    “Mr. Buhari can absolutely afford to trade terrorists’ lives for schoolgirls,” said human rights lawyer Emmanuele Ogebe, whose Education Must Continue campaign is paying to educate some of the escaped Chibok girls in the U.S.

    He questioned the President’s sincerity, noting that President Buhari said in May that he had not watched a proof-of-life video sent by Boko Haram to encourage negotiations, apparently as early as January.

     

    Learning from past pitfalls

     

    According to Information & Culture Minister Lai Mohammed, the Federal Government has been wary of talks with the militants as previous negotiations failed because officials have been duped into talks with the wrong people.

    The minister said: “We are being extremely careful,” information minister Lai Mohammed said in a statement. “We want to be doubly sure that those we are in touch with are who they claim to be.”

    A fighter who speaks in the video hints at who could mediate. “We want the government to know that … we don’t trust you, except some few journalists. We have never sent out or accept to be approached by anybody except journalists that we trust.”

    The video was posted by a Nigerian journalist Ahmad Salkida, who lives in Dubai, the United Arab Emirate (UAE) and is known to have good contacts in Boko Haram.

    Salkida said the video was sent to him by Abubakar Shekau’s wing of Boko Haram.

    On Sunday night, the military declared Mr Salkida wanted man, claiming he has “information on the conditions and the exact location of these girls”.

    But the Defence Headquarters (DHQ) yesterday disputed Boko Haram claim that some of the abducted girls have been killed during military bombings of theirs in Sambisa Forest.

    Defence spokesman Brig.-Gen. Rabe Abubakar said in a statement: “It is extremely difficult and rare to hit innocent people during air strikes because the operation is done through precision attacks on identified and registered targets and locations.”

  • Wanted journalist replies Army

    Wanted journalist replies Army

    … ‘I made personal sacrifices for Chibok girls’

    Wanted citizen journalist, Ahmad Salkida, has declared his readiness to return to Nigeria to answer questions on his alleged association with the Boko Haram sect.

    Salkida was declared wanted by the Nigerian Army hours after Boko Haram uploaded another video showing some of the abducted Chibok girls.

    The journalist had claimed on his social media handle that the video was exclusively sent to him by the terror group’s hierarchy.

    In a statement by the Acting Director, Army Public Relations Col. Sani Kukasheka Usman, Salkida was wanted in connection with the last two videos released by Boko Haram terrorists and other findings.

    Responding to the development on his twitter handle, Salkida said he has stayed within “the creed of professional journalism,” in all his work and extensive coverage of Boko Haram insurgency since 2006.

    He said: “Clearly, my status as a Nigerian journalist who has reported extensively, painstakingly and consistently on the Boko Haram menace in the country since 2006 is an open book known to Nigerians and the international community. Equally, my total allegiance and sacrifice to the Federal Republic of Nigeria is self-evident. I have stayed within the creed of professional journalism in my work.

    “As a testimony to the credible and professional values of my access, since May 2015, l have been to Nigeria three times on the invitation of Federal Government agencies. I made personal sacrifices for the release of our Chibok daughters.

    “Finally, the Army is aware that I am not in Nigeria presently. In the coming days I will seek to get a flight to Abuja and avail myself to the Army authorities. Indeed, my return will be hastened if the military sends me a ticket.”