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Tag: Chibok

  • Chibok: Escapee girls feel guilty, says Ezekwesili

    Chibok: Escapee girls feel guilty, says Ezekwesili

    Some of the 57 girls who escaped from the Boko Haram custody after their abduction from the school hostel on April 15 are feeling guilty, Dr. Oby Ezekwesili said yesterday.

    The former World Bank Vice President (Africa), who is one of the leaders of the #BringbackOurGirls protesters, spoke of the meeting his group and others had with Malala in Abuja yesterday.

    She said one of one of the girls who escaped from Boko Haram told the meeting that she was feeling guilty and could no longer visit her friend’s mother because the mother always asked her why she left her friend behind.

    Mrs. Ezekwesili spoke at the protesters, sit-out in Abuja.

    “I have got to the point where I am no longer bothered with soulless Nigerians who everyday ask me if I’m truly sure the girls were abducted. Thank God that the presidential committee finally put to rest that there was truly an abduction.

    “We know that the government has reassured us that it is doing its best in the process of the rescue but we continue to ask, what are the milestones so far?

    “When speaking to Malala, one of the girls in tears said,  ‘I no longer want to go and visit my friend’s mother because each time I do, she says to me, why did you not hold my daughter’s hand when you where running off’?

    “Our girls are here today so that we will be able to demonstrate to them that they are not alone in the sadness. We are here for the Chibok girls; any other thing is not our concern.”

  • Presbyterian Church warns against politicisation of Chibok

    Presbyterian Church warns against politicisation of Chibok

    The Synod of the West of  The Presbyterian Church of Nigeria has warned against the politicization of the abduction of the Chibok school girls by Boko Haram.

    In a communiqué  at the end of its 19th Annual Synod held at the PCN church, Ikotun, in Lagos State, the Church urged all Nigerians to rise above political and join hands with security agencies with a view  to rescuing  the Chibok girls and dealing   a death blow to the security challenge posed by  insurgents.

    It said: “It is particularly disconcerting  that despite the spiritual interventions by churches and mosques and the numerous inter-faith conferences and dialogues, the level of insurgency, religious intolerance, and other criminal activities as well as social vices remained on the increase. Government must be alive to its responsibility of providing security and the freedom of worship to Nigerians.”

    It asked government to embark on a well-articulated and result-oriented job creation programme as a means of fully engaging  the youths in useful and productive ventures.

    In the communiqué, signed by the Moderator of the Synod, The Rev. Nnanna Odege and the Synod Clerk, The Rev. Bassey Ayek,the church also  lamented that despite  effort at improving power supply by privatizing the sector, power outages remains  a big problem across the country.

    It called for an effective mechanism to ensure creditable performance by the registered distribution companies.

    On the strike embarked upon by doctors under the aegis of the Nigerian Medical Association as well the incessant strikes in the education sector, the Synod blamed the situation on Government’s insincerity, saying the strikes could have been avoided if the Government had demonstrated sincerity in negotiations with the doctors and in the implementation of the memorandum of understanding reached with the stakeholders at all spheres of education.

  • ‘Why there’s delay in Chibok girls’ rescue’

    ‘Why there’s delay in Chibok girls’ rescue’

    The reason for the delay in the rescue of the Chibok girls was the highpoint of President Goodluck Jonathan’s presentation at the National Council of State meeting yesterday.

    Over 200 secondary school girls were abducted in Chibok, Borno State in April.

    Jonathan told the meeting, which was attended by former Presidents and Heads of State, Chief Olusegun Obasanjo, Alhaji Shehu Shagari, Gen.  Babangida, Gen. Yakubu Gowon, Gen. Abdulsalami Abubakar and Chief Ernest Shonekan, that the delay was connected to the fact that security agencies were meticulous in their approaches to minimise loss of lives.

    Briefing State House correspondents at the end of the meeting, Akwa Ibom State Governor Godswill Akpabio, accompanied by Edo State Governor Adams Oshiomhole and his Kaduna State counterpart, Yero Ramalan, said: “Top on the agenda of the meeting was the security of the nation. We were briefed by the President, and the National Security Adviser on the steps that are being taken. Top on the security was the rescue of Chibok girls which military authorities also confirmed that efforts were being made and that very soon we will have good news.

    “It was also heartwarming to note that the issue is not whether we can rescue the girls, but the issue is how can we rescue them in a way that we can ensure their safety so that we don’t end up in the attempt to rescue them we endanger their lives.

    “What also came out is the need for Nigerians to be patient because terrorism is a new challenge in Nigeria and it is not something that goes away immediately and we have to be meticulous in our approach and make sure that we take the best steps forward to reduce and minimise possible loss of lives in an attempt to curb the insurgents.”

    He went on: “We are very satisfied the security agents know very well where the girls are located and they are on top of situation.”

    According to him, the Council also approved the appointment of commissioners into the National Population Commission (NPC).

    He said: “The other issue was the appointment of certain commissioners in the National Population Commission and the states that have not filled their quota were today ratified and approved.

    “The Council was duly consulted in line with the constitutional provision for Ekiti State, Yobe, Jigawa Zamfara and Kebbi, where their commissioners were ratified and approved by Council.”

    He went on: “The other issue was the general security of the nation and this is to assure the public that the military authorities working in concert with the governors of various states of the federation are on top of the situation and that we require patience, cooperation in order to bring the situation to an end.

    “What also came out of the discussion was the need for every person to be vigilant in which ever part of the country you are in because security is everybody’s business. You gave to know your neighbour and understand your environment and report any suspicious movements to security agents.”

    He said that the Council commended the security agencies in their fight against terrorism.

    He said: “We are happy that very serious efforts are being made, all necessary equipment that will enable us bring this insurgency to an end are being procured by the Federal Government and Council was satisfied that Mr. President is on top of situation and he is taking this issue of insurgency very seriously and sooner than later Nigerians will see an end to this problem.”

    Oshiomhole said the Council urged the media to stop celebrating terrorism.

    He said: “On security, we recognise the fact that few years back, most of us will swear that there can be a Nigerian who would be a suicide bomber, Nigerians enjoy life, but we now know that there are some of us who are willing to play the role of a suicide bomber.

    “This act of terrorism is completely new and, therefore, we expect that the armed forces have had many years of experience in dealing with internal insurgency and it is far more complicated than dealing with an opponent that you can define by location or uniform.

    “The terrorist can be your neighbour, he could be living in your village and you may not know them, but the good news is that the armed forces are on top of the situation and we are satisfied they are doing their best and they are paying huge price for which Nigerians should be appreciative and commend them for the sacrifices they are making.”

    On the media, he said: “We are unanimous that the media should put the country first and the headlines and the story should be in such a way that they are informed by national interest because if we celebrate terrorism, then we are giving them incentives.

    “In reporting, the editor must know what to report and censure because when there is no country, there is no media or politician. We as politicians we should be more sensitive to national security, when it comes to national security partisanship should give way to all hands being on deck as speaking with one voice in denouncing terrorism and all of us been seen to be on the same page, it is not a partisan issue, because when there is no Nigeria, political party becomes irrelevant and all of us can do better and we should change our language.

    “Also it is the role of religious leaders, that it is not helpful for any religious leader to seek to rationalise this act by suggesting that these people are belonging to one religion or that their target is another religion and that the entire thing is based on religion.

    “It is clear that these are just criminals that are masquerading in whatever name they choose to call themselves. No genuine Christian or Muslim who thinks that God needs help to kill anyone.

    “Nigerians, all of us, whether in government or out of government, on the issue of terrorism, we should learn from the Americans. Once America came under attack, whether you are a democrat or republican, everybody believes that without America, all these other divides will be irrelevant. I think Nigerians need to understand that and there can be no quick fix. What is required is that there is sufficient political will to deal with the situation to secure the Nigerian space.”

    Former Head of State Muhammadu Buhari was absent at the meeting yesterday.

    At the meeting included Senate President David Mark, Speaker of the House of Representatives Aminu Tambuwal, National Security Adviser (NSA) Col. Sambo Dasuki, and former Chief Justice of Nigeria (CJN) Justice Muhammadu Uwais.

    Governors at the meeting are those of Adamawa, Kaduna, Delta, Niger, Ebonyi, Bayelsa, Abia, Akwa Ibom, Cross Rivers, Kebbi, Gombe, Enugu and Acting governor of Taraba.

    Deputy State Governors at the meeting include Benue, Jigawa, Ondo, Ogun and Yobe.

     

  • ‘Jonathan actively engaged in efforts to rescue Chibok girls’

    ‘Jonathan actively engaged in efforts to rescue Chibok girls’

    President Goodluck Jonathan will not put the lives of schoolgirls abducted in Chibok, Borno, at risk by publicly revealing details of efforts to rescue them to satisfy his critics.

    Presidential spokesman Reuben Abati, who made the remark in Abuja yesterday, added that Nigeria was aggressively confronting the threat of the terrorist group.

    In a letter to Washington Post, Abati described an opinion article published by the newspaper on July 3 on the issue as incorrect.

    The presidential spokesman said Jonathan had been actively engaged in efforts to rescue the more than 200 girls abducted in April by Boko Haram.

    He debunked the claim that “Jonathan has a do-nothing” attitude toward rescuing the girls.

    “This is not different from what was written about President Obama’s decision not to disclose his efforts to seize and arrest the alleged ringleader of the 2012 terrorist attacks in Benghazi, Libya.’’

    Four Americans were killed in the Benghazi attack.

    Abati added that the president was engaged in international intelligence-sharing involving West Africa, Europe and the United States, and he had also launched Counter Terrorism Centre in Nigeria.

    “He has been working intensely on the very challenging situation posed by Boko Haram since assuming office, including declaring a state of emergency in May 2013 in the three most affected northern states.’’

  • American help

    American help

    • What happened to the great optimism the United States gave us about the Chibok girls?

    The recent reaffirmation by the United States of America that they still don’t know where the kidnapped Chibok girls are, weeks after their intervention, further exacerbate the tension over the fate of the 219 girls who have been in Boko Haram’s captivity for about three months . Considering that America is renowned for her technical know-how, not to talk of the hope invested in their support by the government and people of Nigeria, their admittance of failure may deal the hope of a reunion by the girls with their families a deadly blow. Going forward, the Nigerian government must always appreciate that it is her primary responsibility to resolve this kidnap saga.

    For the public, they may never know what is going on behind the official-speak, with respect to the much celebrated collaboration between Nigeria and the United States and other countries, to resolve the Chibok kidnap. After all, President Goodluck Jonathan and Nigerians were very hopeful when the U.S. and other countries offered help to find the girls and to rescue them from captivity. Even sounding boastful, and for some demeaning, some U.S. officials like Senator John McCain, had boasted that his country didn’t need President Jonathan’s approval to sprout her superior military might to rescue the girls on humanitarian grounds.

    So, what happened to that great expectation? Is it that the U.S. is lacking the capacity in resources to resolve this saga, or is it that she has refused to deploy same?  Could it be that the government of the United States has made unconscionable demands, against the security and territorial integrity of Nigeria, before it can help her? On the part of Nigeria, could it be that our government is so unreasonable or incapable of negotiating a reasonable understanding with the government of the United States on this matter?

    Yet again, could it be that Nigeria’s standing as an important member of the international community has gone so low, that it cannot exert diplomatic influence to compel America and other countries to come to her aid over this matter? For sure, without official clarification as to the reasons for this apparent failure of the international community on the Chibok saga, Nigerians are entitled to speculate.

    But, while we are at that, what happened to the boast by the Chief of Defence Staff, Air Marshal Alex Badeh, not long ago, that the Nigerian military knows where the Chibok girls are? Ordinarily, if there is official collaboration between Nigeria  and the United States, then if Nigeria’ s military officials know where the Chibok girls are, such information should be shared with the U.S. officials who have come to help. If that information is shared, then the effort of the military officials of the two countries and indeed others that have come to help would be how to get the girls back to safety.

    We hope that our military is doing all that is reasonable to collaborate with those that have offered to help the country resolve this humanitarian tragedy.

    Even where the international help is waning, the government of Nigeria owes the parents of the Chibok girls and indeed every Nigerian, the responsibility to safely bring back the girls, and also several others who have reportedly been kidnapped by the Boko Haram sect. No resource or effort is too high to bring back these girls. We also hope that those who have one form of influence or another over the sect will also push them to recant their murderous tactics. Indeed, every effort, local and international, should be geared to end this national trauma.

     

  • Okonjo-Iweala, where are our girls?

    SIR: The spontaneous uproar for the release of nearly 300 Chibok girls abducted from their Secondary School has done a lot of good. It has exposed the extent to which the Jonathan government has failed in its primary responsibility of protecting the lives and property of citizens, given that every other aspect of a good government remains secondary.

    We have seen how governments all over the world, especially those that we look up to, display uncompromising integrity and pride in the defense and security of their people. They pursue all political angles in order to protect the life of every one of their citizens. All political affiliations are secondary to the preservation of national pride and the contract between them and their electorate. The Israelis are well known for that, and only recently, the US government set an example by securing the release of one Marine, Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl. They released five (5) Taliban militants in exchange. Clearly, this demonstrates the high position on which they place the respect and love for their people. In Nigeria’s case is, this is a lot different.

    Last month when Abuja hosted the World Economic Forum (WEF), the international community lashed out at the President over his lackadaisical attitude to the plight of the abducted girls and that of their parents.  Just like a wingless bird, the claims by the government’s spokespersons that the President is concerned about the tale of the girls just could not fly. This was especially so in the face of notorious evidence to the contrary. So many questions posed by hosts of TV programmes about the President’s commitment and readiness to combat the hydra-headed monster of insurgency, especially the one waged by Boko Haram were either evaded or to the utter dismay of millions of viewers and the presenters, or  abrasively answered in an unsatisfactory manner.

    Barrage of attacks on the President and his administration have poured in, left, right and center from within and outside the country. Spokesmen for the government have taken turns to feature in prepaid interview sessions, whereupon they are saddled with the choice of either being the kings of their own silence or the slaves of their own false words.

    Amongst the many interviews that have featured is the one between Richard Quest and the Finance Minister, Dr. Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala on the programme “Best of Richard Quest”. In that memorable episode, even though it is in sharp contrast to what is clearly demonstrated by the actions of the government as proven by its many lies and misdirected anger at the people of Nigeria for demanding action from an inept administration, Dr. Iweala stood stoutly in defence of her Principal’s effort and commitment to the search for the abducted Chibok schoolgirls. As the interview progressed, so many things were revealed. Dr. Ngozi in her responses, frequently reminded viewers that she’s not a spokesperson for the government, but clearly at liberty to speak in its defence. She expressed her disgust for the unprecedented media attention and the constant searchlight beamed on the activities of the government she represents. She charged at Richard Quest by stating that: “Long after the limelight and long after CNN has ceased to cover the issue, we will continue to look for them”.

    And prophetically so, more than 80 days since the girls went missing, the parents of those girls and the nation are still waiting and hoping for their return. As each day passes by, and the whereabouts of the girls still unknown, we all must wonder why the minister asserted that the search will take so long. The CNN would forget. So, Madam minister, now that it is evident that you were right, when should we expect their return?

    • Lami Ladan

    Gwarinpa Estate, Abuja

  • Girls ’ll soon be rescued, says govt

    Girls ’ll soon be rescued, says govt

    •Community confirms return of 63 women

    The Chibok girls abducted over 80 days ago will soon be rescued, the Federal Government promised yesterday.

    Mike Omeri, the coordinator of the National Information Centre, told reporters in Abuja that all intelligence reports needed for government to rescue the girls had been collected.

    He spoke during the daily security briefing of the National Information Centre.

    Omeri said with last week’s arrest of three female kingpins and the Chief of intelligence of the Boko Haram sect by security operatives, the rescue of the girls would no longer be delayed,

    “The Federal Government is working assidiously to secure the release of the girls and to restore peace to all parts of the country”, he said.

    Omeri added that “Mr. President has heard what Nigerians are  saying and working seriously to secure their release.

    “We are getting closer to rescuing them and Nigerians should bear with us till we achieve our target.”

    On the  accusation by the elders of Chibok community that government had not carried them along on the rescue mission, Omeri said the centre had been communicating with the public.

    Speaking on weekend’s escape of 63 women from Boko Haram’s den, the coordinator said the centre would not want to speculate because it did not have information on the escape.

    “We have put out calls to our people there to verify but no confirmation on the escape yet,” Omeri said.

    But communities in Chibok Local Government Area of Borno State confirmed the escape of the 63 women and girls.

    They said the women were not part of the over 200 girls from the Government Girls Secondary School.

    They also said contrary to speculations in some quarters, the women did not hail from Chibok but from neigbouring Uba/Askira Local Government.

    Dr. Wakil Chibok, a representative of the Chibok community in Abuja, told our correspondent on the telephone that the women who included girls as young as 15, were never taken to the Sambisa forest but were kept in a separate camp. He said they escaped after the insurgents left the camp on an operation.

    “I have spoken to several people back home, including the Chairman of Chibok Local Government and they have all confirmed the authenticity of the report that the women actually escaped from their abductors.

    Dr. Chibok said the community is still waiting for words on their abducted daughters and would never give up on the girls.

    Amid tears, some embattled residents, especially children and women in Chibok, yesterday urged Nigerians to quickly evacuate them before the Boko Haram insurgents wiped them out.

    “My daughter is languishing in Sambisa forest in the hands of her captors. I have not seen her for weeks now. I have lost my peace. Nigerians must know that we are in trouble and suffering here. Last Sunday, the attackers came and killed over 58 people in churches across three communities. Before then, we got the hint about the impending attack but we were helpless. The solders around could not come out to our rescue. They came to say to us that they were sorry; that they had been overpowered. So, they left us to our fate.

    “What the gunmen now do is that they would enter our houses, pack our food and burn them down. We are now in complete nakedness, suffering hunger, fear and helplessness, only waiting for death to come,” said one of them who would not mention her name for fear of attacks.

    The woman spoke in a telephone conversation with reporters at a media briefing held in Lagos at the instance of Gabasawa Women and Children Initiative, a non-governmental organisation, led by its Chief Executive, Rev Ladi Thompson.

    She pleaded: “What we are begging Nigerians, especially concerned influential mothers for, now, is for them to find any way possible to evacuate our children at least, because if we are killed the next minute, the will remain our legacy. Nigerians must not wait for a minute more; it is dangerous!”

    “Disclose my name? Haba, I go die!” another fear-struck resident, a young man, exclaimed, saying: “As I speak, I am counting my days on earth as these people can come any moment. We have been wandering in the bush since we fled our homes. Our situation is more terrible than before. All we need now is for us to be evacuated before death comes.

    “We daily wander in the bush in hunger. We live, sleep and wake up expecting death every day. We feel it and as such, we are the only ones that appreciate the fact that we are living right in hell here without any protection. If we are truly our brothers’ keepers, we deserve to be evacuated from here now.”

    Thompson, who said the beleaguered residents had been inundating him with distress calls since last week, said: “Things have turned from bad to worrse for the helpless people. The simple desire of most parents in Chibok is that we must assist them in evacuating their children from the war zone so that their family names don’t perish forever. The number of such requests that we are processing has almost hit a thousand mark.”

    He added: “We have been in meetings with a stage governor in southern Nigeria to explore the possibility of accommodating the Boko Haram victims, but the process required will take some time and the situation in Borno State is getting uglier by the second. This is why we have turned to the matriarchs of the nation who are the repertoires of empathy for help.”

     

     

    The activist cleric said if such partnerships to drive the evacuation process succeed, the people will be able to eventually return to their homesteads “if Nigeria wins the war against terror.”

  • Borno community confirms escape

    Communities in Chibok Local Government have confirmed the escape of 63 women, including girls, from a Boko Haram camp.

    They said the women are not part of the abducted girls from Government Girls Secondary School, Chibok and do not come from Chibok Local Government but Uba/Askira Local Government.

    They also confirmed that because the two communities are not far apart, people from Uba/Askira speak Chibok, which makes people mistake the villagers for those from Chibok Local Government.

    Dr. Wakil Chibok, a representative of the Chibok community in Abuja, said the escaped women, who included teenage girls, were never taken to the Sambisa forest but were kept in a separate camp and escaped after the insurgents left the camp on an operation.

    His words: “I have spoken to several people back home, including the Chairman of Chibok Local Government, and they have all confirmed the authenticity of the report that the women actually escaped from their abductors.

    “They did not escape from Sambisa forest but were kept in one of the Boko Haram camps and escaped after the insurgents had all left the camp for an operation.

  • Chibok: weeks of impotence become months of paralysis

    Chibok: weeks of impotence become months of paralysis

    NOTHING demonstrates so poignantly the sorry pass Nigeria has come to in every area of national life as the federal government’s phlegmatic approach to the Chibok abductions. On April 15, Boko Haram militants, in an attack that began on April 14, abducted some 276 schoolgirls from the town’s Government Secondary School. The attack lasted many hours, some say as many as four hours.  A federal government panel has determined, after much pussyfooting by the presidency, that about 219 of the girls remain in Boko Haram captivity. The problem is that in nearly three months of the girls’ captivity, the Goodluck Jonathan government has done precious little, or at least nothing concrete and definable, to free them.

    Indeed, some weeks after the abductions, the Jonathan government was strangely silent or disbelieving on the matter. It gave the impression that issues surrounding the abductions were unfairly and dangerously politicised. The president’s wife even melodramatically suggested that concrete proof was needed to confirm the story of the abduction which she passed off as a deplorable attempt to undermine and harm her husband. But a former president, Olusegun Obasanjo, sneered at President Jonathan’s flat-footedness, accusing him of becoming needlessly embroiled in a useless controversy over whether or not abductions actually took place.

    But after the presidency finally convinced itself that the schoolgirls were missing, and on the scale previously reported, it has found it difficult going forward. The president would neither visit grieving and disconsolate parents of the abducted girls, to the chagrin of Nigerians and foreigners alike, nor set up and directly supervise an action/crisis committee to superintend and coordinate the rescue efforts. The rest of the world has sometimes looked and sounded more affronted by the abductions, and has created and sustained a worldwide movement to campaign for the release of the teenage girls. Embarrassingly, the Nigeria Police even briefly ordered a cessation of the “Bring Back the Girls” campaign in Abuja, the Federal Capital City, on the silly grounds that it was a ploy to undermine national peace and destabilise the Jonathan government.

    Unsure whether to launch a full-scale attack on the girls’ captors, a strategy the military top brass have both publicly and privately deplored, the government has vacillated between strong-arm methods and the so-called ‘prisoner exchange’ option. Sadly and unbelievably, the early weeks of impotence have been replaced by the most offensive dithering any government anywhere is capable of. President Jonathan won’t launch a total war, as he once threatened, partly because he has been persuaded to see it as foolish and reckless. And he won’t negotiate because he puzzlingly sees exchange of Boko Haram detainees with the girls as unethical and weak. The country is thus trapped in a vast, uncharted and suffocating netherworld, where nothing is ventured and nothing is gained.

    In the name of God, President Jonathan should kindly make up his mind what to do, and then do it with the sure-footedness expected of any government, even if he is unaccustomed to mustering that kind of resolve. The pains of the abducted girls and their parents, not to talk of the collective anguish of the country, are being unduly and unfortunately prolonged. The clearly unwanted option is for the president to do nothing and couch it as cautious deliberateness. The government must also not pass off the fortuitous capture of a Boko Haram intelligence cell as part of a secret, ongoing master plan to rescue the girls. Indeed, the fact is that even if the girls are returned to us today, the president is unlikely to reap any public relations credit from it.

  • Photo: #bringbackourgirls – Day 80

    Photo: #bringbackourgirls – Day 80