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Tag: Chibok girls

  • Failed release of Chibok girls: Jonathan govt withdrew $40m

    Failed release of Chibok girls: Jonathan govt withdrew $40m

    The Office of the National Security Adviser (ONSA) is in a fresh mess.

    The office, already enmeshed in the $15billion arms deal, is being fingered in the alleged disappearance of $40million(N13.6billion)  approved  by the administration of ex-President Goodluck Jonathan ostensibly for the  negotiation of  freedom for the Chibok girls.

    Part of the supposed deal was for Boko Haram to concede to a demand for ceasefire,The Nation gathered on good authority yesterday.

    The under-the-table negotiation was however botched because the Boko Haram leadership was not interested in the deal.

    The whereabouts of the cash is now unknown, prompting a probe by the Federal Government.

    One report suggested that the money was handed over to the president of a neighbouring country, while another said it was in the ‘custody’ of  a former presidential aide.

    The cash was allegedly drawn from the ONSA by the former top presidential aide.

    A  source familiar with the development said:”The government is probing how about  $40million was allegedly spent by the administration of ex-President Jonathan to ‘negotiate’ with Boko Haram. The cash was allegedly withdrawn from the ONSA account by a former presidential aide.

    “The said aide alleged that the cash was routed through the Presidents of a neighbouring country, but preliminary tracking showed that the money might have been diverted.

    “Many people have been linked with the negotiation, but the government, through relevant anti-graft agencies, is trying to ascertain the whereabouts of the funds. We have started inviting those connected with the deal for interaction.

    “Even the ex-President in January 2016 said in an interview with a news website, Quartz, in Geneva, Switzerland that his administration did not set up any negotiation team.

    “I did not negotiate with Boko Haram. The government never set up a team,” Quartz quoted him as saying.

    The  Boko Haram leader, Imam Abubakar Shekau, responding in one of his video messages to claims of negotiation with government,  had said: “We have not made ceasefire with anyone. We did not negotiate with anyone. It’s a lie. It’s a lie. We will not negotiate. What is our business with negotiation? Allah said we should not.”

    Conitnuing the source said:”So, there could not have been any sum spent on negotiation with Boko Haram, if there was no deal with the sect. You can see that the ongoing investigation of $15billion arms deal in the ONSA has many dimensions.

    “The main objective of the government is to recover the $40million.”

    Meanwhile, the BringBackOurGirls group yesterday confirmed that Serah Luka, who was rescued on Thursday by the Nigerian military,  was an  SSS 1 student of Government Secondary School, Chibok.

    It however said the girl was abducted by Boko Haram in Madagali in Adamawa State and not in Chibok.

    The group, which made the clarification in a statement by Sesugh Akume, laid to rest the controversy over the identity of the girl.

    The statement said: “We are excited with the news of yet another rescued Chibok girl.

    “According to Haruna Mutali, a community leader in Chibok, their background checks have revealed that this second returnee, Miss Serah Luka, was an SSS 1 learner at GSS Chibok, who was abducted by the insurgents in her home in Madagali.

    “Every citizen returned is victory for us all.

    “We appeal to the humanity in us to stay positively focused on emerging developments. We wish to advise caution in disseminating information too promptly, as we appeal that we respect the human dignity of our returnees and their loved ones, as we engage on this topic.

    “We commend the gallant Nigerian Army, the Civilian JTF, and the other security forces. We are strongly with you, as through great sacrifice you annihilate the insurgents, return our compatriots, reclaim our territories and restore peace and normality, especially in northeast Nigeria.”

    A top military source said: “We conducted security checks on the girl before we released information to the public.

    “As part of her profiling, we got in touch with a teacher in GSS, Chibok who confirmed that she was a student of the school  before her abduction.

    “Also, some of her relatives admitted that she was schooling in Chibok and the girl confessed that she was one of the Chibok girls.

    “The Army is not deceiving Nigerians as being insinuated. This kind of attitude from some Nigerians can demoralize the troops.”

  • Confusions trail ‘newly rescued Chibok girl’

    Confusions have continued to trail the reported rescue of second Chibok girl by the military on Thursday.

    The first controversy has to do with the identity of the girl.

    The name Serah Luka with no 157 as given by the Army Spokesman, Col. Sani Usman, was different from the one found on the comprehensive Chibok girls’ list.

    On the list, one Ruth Lawan was listed as no 157.

    The second controversy came from account of events at the school and the rescued girl’s class at the time of the incident.

    Available records showed that only JSS 3 and SS 3 students were in the school writing their various examinations when Boko Haram militants stormed the school and took them away.

    But the military in a statement said Serah Luka was a JSS 1 student who had been in school for just two months before her abduction.

    Less than 24 hours after Amina Ali was rescued, flown to Abuja and handed over to President Muhammadu Buhari, the military claimed that a second girl from the list of the abducted girls has been rescued by troops.

    The Army spokesman in a statement issued on Thursday night said one Miss Serah Lukan, daughter of a pastor was among the 97 women rescued during an operation by troops of 231 Battalion, 331 Artillery Regiment (AR), Detachment of Armed Forces Special Forces (AFSF) 2, Explosive Ordinance (EOD) Team and Vigilante Group of Buratai.

    The statement also informed that 35 Boko Haram members were killed during the operation.

    The statement reads; “At about 11: 00am today, Thursday, 19th May 2016, troops of 231 Battalion, 331 Artillery Regiment (AR), Detachment of Armed Forces Special Forces (AFSF) 2, Explosive Ordinance (EOD) Team and Civilian Vigilante group of Buratai, conducted clearance operations at Shettima Aboh, Hong and Biladdili general area in Damboa local government area of Borno State.

    “During the operations, the troops killed 35 Boko Haram terrorists and recovered several arms and ammunitions and other items.

    “In addition, they rescued 97 women and children held captives by the Boko Haram terrorists. We are glad to state that among those rescued is a girl believed to be one of the  Chibok Government Secondary School girls that were abducted on 14th April 2014 by the Boko Haram terrorists.

    “Her name is Miss Serah Luka, who is number 157 on the list of the abducted school girls. She is believed to be the daughter of Pastor Luka.”

     

  • Apologize to Nigerians on Chibok girls, group tells Jonathan, Fayose

    A Civil Society Organization, Africa Arise for Change Network, has asked ex-president Goodluck Jonathan and Ekiti State Governor, Ayodele Fayose, to apologize to Nigerians for not believing that over 200 girls were kidnapped from their school in Chibok, Borno State, in 2014.

    Jonathan and Fayose, both of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) had said the girls’ abduction was a hoax designed by the then opposition party, the All Progressives Congress (APC) to destabilize the government.

    The group blamed the long captivity of the girls on the failure of Jonathan’s government to take immediate action after the girls were abducted from their school.

    Addressing journalists in Abuja on Friday, the National Coordinator of the group, Nkechi Odoma, commended the present administration and the military for the sustained onslaught on the insurgents and the rescue of two Chibok girls.

    She expressed confidence that the military would rescue more Chibok girls from their Boko Haram captors in the days ahead.

  • Chibok girl has no husband – Falana

    Chibok girl has no husband – Falana

    Lagos lawyer, Femi Falana(SAN), has said the Boko Haram member who impregnated and put Amina Ali, one of the ‎Chibok girls, in the family way, should not be regarded as her husband but an abductor and terrorist.

    He therefore advised the Borno State Attorney- General and Commissioner for Justice ‎to proceed to charge the terrorist with abduction, slavery, torture and rape without any further delay.

    ‎He gave the advice in a statement issued on Thursday night and titled: “Rescued Chibog girl has no husband.”

    The statement said: “Yesterday, Amina Ali, one of the abducted Chibok girls was rescued by the Borno State Civilian Joint Task Force aided by the Nigerian Army.

    “However, one of the terrorists who abducted her and had put her in a family way was arrested by the Nigerian army.

    “The captured terrorist who was arrested with Amina is not her husband but an abductor and a rapist. The media should therefore desist from further referring to the criminal suspect as the husband of the girl.

    “While congratulating the combined team of Nigerian army and the Borno State Joint Task Force who rescued Amina, we call on them to intensify their efforts to free the remaining Chibok girls.

    “The Attorney-General of Borno State should proceed to charge the terrorist with abduction and slavery, torture and rape without any further delay.”

     

     

  • Amina Ali: Best evidence to find Chibok girls – Ezekwesilli

    Amina Ali: Best evidence to find Chibok girls – Ezekwesilli

    A former Minister of Education, Oby Ezekwesilli, on Thursday said the rescued Chibok girl, Amina Ali, is the most credible evidence the government needs to rescue the remaining 218 girls.

    Ezekwesilli said since the government claimed that it lacks credible intelligence, a young woman who had been in the terrorists’ enclave is the most credible evidence the government needs.

    She said, “The rescued Chibok girl, Amina is the most credible evidence that the government needs to rescue our Chibok girls.

    “The last time we met with Mr. President, he told us that he does not have credible evidence on the girls, well a young woman who was in the enclave of Boko Haram and has given them so much information so far on her classmates is the best evidence that our government needs.

    “‎The next thing is for the government and global community, all those countries that came up, offering their assistance, to work together so that the remaining 218 girls do not have to stay a day longer than necessary.”

     

  • Amina must return to school – Buhari

    Amina must return to school – Buhari

    President Muhammadu Buhari on Thursday promised that everything will be done to ensure that the rescued Chibok girl, Amina Ali, goes back to school.

    He also promised that his administration will ensure that Amina gets the best medical, emotional and other necessary care towards her full recovery and integration into the society. ‎

    The President made the promise when he received the girl in his office at the Presidential Villa, Abuja.

    He said: “Like others all over the world, I’m delighted that Amina Ali, one of the missing Chibok girls has regained her freedom‎. But my feelings are tinged with deep sadness and horrors the girl has had to go through at such an early stage in her life.

    “Although we cannot do anything to reverse the horrors of her past, the federal government can and will do everything possible to ensure that the rest of her life takes a completely different course.

    “Amina will get the best care that the Nigerian government can afford. We will ensure that she gets the best medical, emotional and whatever care that she requires to get full recovery and be integrated into the society‎.

    “Yesterday, medical personnel from government and other NGOs examine her for about five hours, trauma experts from UNICEF also met her. The FG will get the Murtala Mohammed Foundation, which has already been providing support for the families of the missing Chibok girls and which runs a trauma and counseling faciity in Kano to also be involved in the ongoing work with Amina in monitoring her progress and any additional support she requires.”

  • Most Chibok girls still in forest – Rescued victim

    Most of the 219 girls kidnapped from the Government Girls Secondary School, Chibok, by Boko Haram militants more than two years ago are still in captivity in a forest in northeast Nigeria, the first girl to be rescued was quoted as saying on Wednesday.

    “She says all of the others are still in the Sambisa forest area. That they are heavily guarded,” a statement from the #Bringbackourgirls group quoted Amina Ali Darsha Nkeki as saying after her rescue this week.

    Reuters reported that the girl was rescued after a military operation in Damboa, Borno State, this week.

     

  • ‘How Chibok girl was found’

    When the military launched stormed the Baale village near Damboa, Borno State, to confront Boko Haram insurgents, little did they know that one of the over 200 abducted Chibok school girls was among the women rescued during the operation.

    After the military operation, an eagle eyed local hunter spotted Amina Ali in company of other women and identified her as one of the missing Chibok girls.

    The hunter, who identified himself as Apaagu, said he recognized Amina because he is from Chibok community and knows the parents of the girl very well.

    Apaagu, who is a member of the local vigilante group, told journalists in a telephone chat from Damboa that he was the one that picked out Amina and told the military that she is one of the missing Chibok school girls.

    “We I saw her, I recognized her because I know her. I told the army that she is one of the Chibok girls that were missing. We picked her out from the other women,” Apaagu said.

    He added that the girl was taken to her family house in Chibok where she met her mother in an emotional reunion before she was taken away by the military in Damboa.

    “We went with her to her family house in Chibok and met her mother who embraced her warmly,” the hunter said.

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  • Missing Chibok girl found in Sambisa Forest

    Missing Chibok girl found in Sambisa Forest

    … We have not been officially informed – Shettima

    One of the missing Chibok girls has been found in Nigeria, activists said, the first to be rescued since their capture two years ago.

    In all, 218 girls remain missing after their abduction from a secondary school in northeast Nigeria in April 2014.

    Activists told the BBC that Amina Ali Nkeki was found by a vigilante group on Tuesday in the Sambisa Forest, close to the border with Cameroon.

    The girls were taken by militants from the Boko Haram sect.

    Amina was reportedly identified by a civilian fighter who recognised her. The fighter belonged to the Civilian Joint Task Force (JTF), a vigilante group set up to help fight Boko Haram.

    Hosea Abana Tsambido, the chairman of the Chibok community in the capital, Abuja, told the BBC that Amina was found by the vigilantes after venturing into the forest to search for firewood.

    Sources told the BBC she came from the town of Mbalala, south of Chibok, from where 25 of the kidnapped girls came. A neighbour in Mbalala told the BBC that the girl was found with a baby.

    Meanwhile, Borno State Governor, Kashim Shettima, on Wednesday said he has not been officially informed on the reported recovery of one of the missing Chibok girls.

    The Governor spoke when he hosted the United Nations Under Secretary for Humanitarian Affairs, Mr. Steve O’Brian and the Netherlands Ambassador to Nigeria, Mr. John Groffen, at the Government House, Maiduguri, on Wednesday.

    Shettima said, “I have got reports that one of the Chibok girls has been found by some vigilante members around the Sambisa forest.

    “I don’t want to be misquoted because I have not been officially informed nor has the story being officially confirmed.

    “But if this is true, we are happy about the news because for us even if it is one out of the 200, it is still a sign of hope that the girls are alive and from the location she was found, it can give our security agents a good lead to where the girls are held.”

    But the military in a statement issued by its spokesman, Col. Sani Usman, confirmed that the girl was among the rescued people in Baale village near Damboa.

    The statement reads: “This is to confirm that one of the abducted Chibok school girls, Falmata Mbalala, was among the rescued persons by our troops at Baale near Damboa”.

     

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  • Aisha Buhari donates N55 million to Chibok girls’ parents, others

    Aisha Buhari donates N55 million to Chibok girls’ parents, others

    Wife of the President, Mrs Aisha Muhammadu Buhari on Tuesday presented fifty five million Naira to the parents of the abducted Chibok girls and Buniyadi in fulfillment of her pledge during the book presentation on ‘Essentials of Beauty Therapy.’

    Mrs Buhari, in a statement issued on Tuesday night by her Director of Media, Zakari Yau Nadabo, said that the proceeds from Her book presentation to the public at a recent event provided the privilege to dedicate thirty million Naira to the parents of the abducted Chibok girls and twenty five million Naira to those in Buniyadi.

    She urged the parents to remain patient while Government continue its effort to rescue the girls and reunite them with their various families and restore normal activities in all the areas affected by the insurgency.

    The chairman of the chibok girls parents Mr. Yakubu Keki who led other women to the State House commended every effort at providing succor to the parents and thanked the Federal Government for making it possible for the inhabitants to return to their homes instead of languishing in the bush for fear of attacks by the insurgents

    He said that the parents are very confident and optimistic that their children will eventually reunite with them to continue a normal life.

    A member of the House of Representatives from Chibok, Asabe Vilita Bashir thanked the Wife of the President for the unique and motherly gesture.

    She urged the Chibok parents to acknowledge the concerted effort of the Buhari Administration in bringing to end the spate of insurgency in the country.

    The Wife of the President also received a delegation of medical experts from abroad and their local partners  on a crusade to stop Tuberculosis which Nigeria is ranked fourth on the global chart .

    Mrs Buhari Promised to mobilize other major stakeholders for a nationwide campaign to stop Tuberculosis and consistent advocacy through her Future Assured Initiative.