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Tag: Chibok

  • FG ready for talk with Boko Haram

    FG ready for talk with Boko Haram

    The Federal Government on Tuesday signalled willingness to negotiate with the Boko Haram sect holding more than 200 schoolgirls, a month after the kidnapping that has provoked global outrage.

    “The window of negotiation is still open,” the Minister of Special Duties, Tanimu Turaki, told Reuters by telephone.

    He spoke a day after Boko Haram leader, Abubakar Shekau, posted a video offering to release the girls in exchange for prisoners held by the government.

    Senior officials say the government is exploring options and has made no commitment to negotiations for the release of the girls, and Turaki declined to comment on possible talks over the kidnapping itself. Instead, he referred to an amnesty committee that he heads, set up by President Goodluck Jonathan last year to talk to the Boko Haram militants behind a five-year-old insurgency.

    The committee’s initial six-month mandate expired without holding direct talks with the rebels, though it has spoken to them through proxies.

    It has since been replaced by a standing committee empowered to conduct talks, officials said. Boko Haram has killed thousands of people since 2009 and destabilised parts of northeast Nigeria.

    The abductions have triggered a worldwide social media campaign under the Twitter hashtag #BringBackOurGirls, and prompted the United States, Britain, France and Israel to offer help or send experts to Nigeria.

     

  • Should FG swap Chibok girls for Boko Haram terrorists?

    Should FG swap Chibok girls for Boko Haram terrorists?

    Nigeria is ready to talk to Boko Haram for the release of more than 200 abducted school girls, a minister was quoted by the BBC as saying Minister of Special Duties Tanimu Turaki said if Boko Haram was sincere, its leader Abubakar Shekau should send people he trusts to meet the standing committee on reconciliation. Many Nigerians – politicians, lawyers, public affairs analysts and others – are for dialogue to free the girls – should the need arise. Some are, however, opposed to “talking with terrorists”.

    Sir Olaniwun Ajayi said:

    Afenifere chieftain and delegate to the National Conference Sir Ajayi rejected the sect’s proposal, saying that it is devoid of logic and no basis can be found for it in law and morality.

    He queried: “Which country is that practiced? People offended the state. Their ring leaders who sent them on an unlawful errand to invade a school and take the innocent girls are giving conditions. They are saying that their members in detention should be released before they release the girls. Where is that done in the world?

    “A thief invaded a house. Then, the thief is saying that, before what is stolen can be returned, you have to pay money to the thieves. No government can do that. Our government should not do that. In other countries, the sect members would have been apprehended by now”.

    Another Afenifere chieftain, Chief Ayo Adebanjo, said:

    “The government has done the right thing by exploring dialogue as route to the solution to the problem. But, it is legally and morally wrong to propose the release of the Boko Haram suspects in prison in exchange for the innocent girls. That is not acceptable”.

    A delegate to the National Conference, Senator Olabiyi Durojaye, said:

    “The people terrorising the country cannot give terms and their demands are irritating.”

    He stressed: ‘It is the height of ignorance. You have harmed people and you are asking that some people should be released from detention before you can release the girls. They are trying to ridicule the government and our nation. I am not happy about the whole situation. There are experts who can handle the negotiation with the sect. But, their condition is not right”.

    Former Kaduna State Governor Balarabe Musa said:

    “The Federal Government should accept  it, if it will encourage dialogue. The two sides are holding hostages,  although the Federal Government may say it is holding criminals. It may be the beginning of peaceful settlement of the problem. The Federal Government has no alternative than to dialogue. The offer should be accepted as it will give room for meaningful dialogue.”

    Former Lagos State Deputy Governor Rafiu Jafojo said:

    “It is unfortunate and uncalled for. Icannot support that. The children have nothing to do with their claims, what they want and what they are fighting for. If they want to fight the government as terrorist, they can fight the government. But, they cannot be seizing girls. Why should they go to schools to disrupt the peace of the place?

    “I don’t support the idea of unconditional release of the innocent girls. Let them release the children to their families and embrace dialogue. Why should faceless people give conditions to government?

    Lagos state House of Assembly majority leader Dr. Jibayo Adeyeye said:

    “While nothing would be too much on the side of the government to ensure that the girls are released and reunited with their families. The government should however be weary of succumbing to demand by terrorists as it would send a wrong signal in future to others who would want to blackmail the nation when it is faced with such situation in future. I think the Federal Government should follow the lead from the release video about the girls and track them down while it buys time with the exchange proposal.

    Rights activist Mike Ozekhome said:

    It was former President of America JF Kennedy, who said you should never negotiate out of fear. There are times that we have to stoop to conquer. We are talking of lives here; we are talking of little children, fairly between the ages of 10 and 16 years, taking into the wilderness by Boko.

    The parents of these little children are traumatised, they cannot sleep, and they cannot eat. They do not know the fate of their children. Shekau has said initially that he will sell the girls into slavery; he has changed his position to exchanging them for the arrested Boko Haram people. The question now is what is the way out? The Turaki Committee’s primary purpose is to see how they can negotiate, so as to end the insurgency. I therefore, do no say that the idea of negotiation with Boko Haram is so alien to the government, that it is suddenly a taboo. The government has been accused that it was playing a game of stick and carrot. We are now talking about human lives. This is one area where I throw my weight behind the government of Nigeria, to negotiate with these people to release these little innocent girls. Some of who will become ministers, governors and top government functionaries in Nigeria.

     

    Abubakar Tsav, former commissioner of police, Lagos States has mixed feelings about the matter. He is fully in support of negotiation with the insurgents “for the sake of the girls, who are innocent and should not be made to suffer for what they did not cause.” He added: “One could also consider this from the point of view of their parents who are now in trauma and do not know what next to do. So, on humanitarian grounds, yes, I am for negotiation. In the interest of peace, anything we can do to bring back these girls would be welcomed.” He said America at one point or the other exchanged prisoners with people they considered as terrorists, to effect the release of their citizens.

    But on the other hand, Tsav insists such an idea is arrant nonsense. His words: “These people have killed a lot of Nigerians; they have destabilised this country; and they have bombed churches and mosques. Seen from that perspective, it is not proper. If we do it, we would be indirectly supporting terrorism.”

    The former police commissioner said Nigeria’s problem was that when President Goodluck Jonathan was advised to negotiate with them at the outset, he refused, saying he cannot negotiate with ghosts. “Now these ghosts are disturbing the whole country. So, I think those who are advising the President are not advising him well,” he added. Besides, he said the area where the girls were abducted is under emergency rule, and that the security agencies failed in their duty to protect the citizens. Tsav wondered whether there is any sort of connivance between some of the soldiers and Boko Haram members.

    Chief Niyi Akintola said:

    “Boko Haram demand as unjustifiable, unreasonable and should be rejected by the Federal government.

    “The Federal Government should not succumb to blackmail. It should not compromise anything. Those who had committed crimes against humanity cannot dictate terms of their release from detention.  They should account for their crimes.

    “On what basis should the government negotiate with them. Their demand is totally unacceptable. The whole world is against them, everybody is angry with them. We should condemn Boko Haram’s act.

    Afenifere chieftain, Senator Ayo Fasanmi, said:

    “Even though human lives are involved, government should not negotiate with murderers.”

    Mr. Chris Uche (SAN) advised government to leave every option open. He urged the Jonathan administration to explore all options and possibilities to get the girls back to their parents.

    Alhaji Tanko Yakassai, Second Republic politician said:

    “This does not necessarily mean that government should accede to all the demands of the terrorists.  I believe in the course of negotiation, a middle course may be found,” he said from his base in Kano on the telephone, adding: “It is important that the door of negotiation should not be shut.”

    Yakassai, who was special adviser to Second Republic President Shehu Shagari on National Assembly Affairs, said the Federal Government had not entirely ruled out negotiation, and that his understanding of government’s position is that it may resort to negotiation when the need arises.

    Dr. Jerry Chukwuokolo, an Enugu lawyer and rights activist said:

    “The whole idea is absurd.”

    He argued that Boko Haram insurgents cannot be compared with Niger Delta militants in anyway. He said: “We were able to negotiate with the militants because we saw them, but these insurgents who are they?

    “Secondly, what they have done to fellow Nigerians without justification is heinous; how can we be negotiating with such elements? In fact, I’m beginning to think that the whole thing is being orchestrated. These girls have been in the custody of the terrorists for only three weeks, but they can now recite lengthy passages in the Quran; majority of these girls are Christians, I don’t think it is possible.”

    Former Information Minister, Prince Tony Momoh said:

    “In my own personal opinion and as a Nigerian, I believe that the President is in a big dilemma. If he refuses to negotiate and any of the children dies, people will not forgive the President.

    “The President himself said he does not want to win an election, if the blood of one person would be shed. People will be looking at those areas, personally, I believe in communication.

    “Communication is the only way crisis can be resolved not through war.  At a particular time, in the affairs of men, if there is war, there must be talking. In this regard, my own policy at any time an issue arises or there is a disagreement, I would like to achieve peace through talking.

    “I don’t believe in war, so with that mind set and we have these kids being held by Boko Haram and they are saying the only way to release them is through negotiation, I will negotiate. To say you will not negotiate, people will put the blame on you if anything untoward happen to them.

    “So, if I was him, I will reach out behind the scene to them to have these girls brought back home. That is the main thing. If any of them dies and we look at the situation, the President will never escape an accusation of intransigence. If they are strong enough to be in possession of our 200 daughters, I will insist on negotiation. If they say release our prisoners, will they go and seek asylum outside Nigeria? If that is the condition to bring back our children, we must not be big headed to say we will not negotiate. If those children die Jonathan will never be forgiven.”

    Former President Committee for the Defence of Human Rights, Olasupo Ojo said:

    “A country like America’s standing policy is that you don’t negotiate with terrorists, no matter who the President is. Nigeria has no clear policy, so, it means it is at the discretion of who is the President, to decide what happens. This is the approach that President Jonathan will follow. He is not courageous, he is not bold, he is not a firebrand, and he does not have the gut. So, you can be assured he would prefer negotiation.”

    Yobe State House of Assembly Adamu Dala Dogo, said:

    “Negotiation with Boko Haram is another solution to the release of the abducted girls.”

    “The Federal Government should negotiate with Boko Haram and bring back our girls. But the Boko Haram should also send their delegates to come and negotiate with the Federal Government because government cannot negotiate with faceless people.

    “I think negotiation is another way of solving the problem while the government is considering other options. The use of force will put the life of those girls on the line and that is the least that the parents of these girls and any other Nigerian expect.

    “The Federal Government must act responsibly and fast too because time is running out on this matter.”

    Tanimu Turaki, Minister of Special Duties:

    “What I said is that we are willing to dialogue with them. And that’s why the Government set the Presidential Committee on a Dialogue and Peaceful Resolution of Security Challenges even before the abduction of the Chibok girls. We want to have comprehensive discussions with them through dialogue, that will lead to the peaceful resolution of all issues, including but not limited to the release of the abducted girls. I didn’t say negotiation because that is too restrictive in the present circumstances.”

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  • My testimony on the girls’ abduction, by Shettima

    My testimony on the girls’ abduction, by Shettima

    Borno State Governor Kashim Shettima spoke yesterday on the abduction of the Chibok girls, the insurgency in his state and his efforts at restoring peace.

    He also chided the Federal Government.

    Shettima spoke while receiving the Citizens Group – which has been protesting against the abduction of the girls in Abuja.

    The protest was taken to the Borno State Governor’s Lodge.

    Shettima, who received the protesters said: “When that video became public, this gentleman made copies of them and we directed the local government chairman to summon some of the parents in Chibok to come and identify their wards. So far, they were able to identify 54 students by name and they were very sure that all the girls were students of the school.

    “I am a leader who is ready to accept resoponsibility for my actions and inactions. I don’t want to say so much in order not to scandalise federal authorities.

    “After bringing back our girls alive, we can open the can of worms, we can tell you who and who are privy to information and I can even give you the time, but I am a leader I am not supposed to overheat the polity; I am to partner to see that we bring back our girls alive.

    “Leadership calls for respect otherwise, believe me, I know a lot but I have to restrain myself from speaking  too much because discretion is the better part of dialogue. Believe me, if I am to speak, a lot of heads will roll.

    “I will speak at the appropriate time. This country, ladies and gentlemen, belongs to all of us and we have to do whatever it takes to protect it.

    “By overheating the polity, I am not adding any value to the system, hence it will result to something worse. We will allow others to do the talking…comment is free but facts are sacred and that is why I am not bothered about the insinuations and accusations because they cannot stand the test of empirical verification.

    “All the girls in that video were identified to be students of Government Secondary School, Chibok and 54 of them were identified by names by their parents. Once they see a face that is familiar, they identify.

    “The students from Chibok; we were able to get 53 of those students. Some of them fell off the vehicles; quite a number of them escaped from the hands of the insurgents; nobody rescued them, and they rescued themselves.

    “Testimonies of our girls revealed that some of them were asked to cook. Some were asked to go and fetch water from the river and they ran away.

    “We are giving the girls counseling. We moved them over with the help of the Nigerian Armed Forces and they are completing their exams today, the SSCE. They will go on a two-week break. For the NECO, we are bringing them down to Maiduguri and we are going to keep them in the most secured of locations in Maiduguri for them to sit for their exam.

    “When the incident happened, my wife and I went to Chibok. It was after the international outcry that the Federal Government decided to give it attention; 19 days after the incident. I believe that if people are going to be fair to us, they will tell us that we have exhibited a lot of sympathy and support for the people of Chibok.

    “Chibok is a community that I have personal likeness for, you can ask any Chibok person.”

    Shettima spoke also on civil-military relationship, saying “without the relationship, the modest accomplishment that we were able to record in this counter insurgency period would not have come to fruition”. “The military and the civilians had a rough beginning.

    “We were able to establish a rapport and that led to the creation of JTF. The JTF is a salutary effort. The JTF transformed into Borno Youth and Economic Empowerment. We are paying them N15,000 for community policing and they work hand-in-hand with the military. They help us with information gathering and they really guide the military in going to places because they are sons of the soil.

    “If you only have one river from which you are drinking water, you will not dare to poison that water and for that reason, I might withhold some of the information, but believe me, Borno government has over the four years spent over N10billion assisting the security agencies in the state and if anybody says we are not assisting or partnering them, ask that person? Just two months ago, we bought 100 Hilux vehicles for the Nigerian Army at the cost of N500 million. You can go and verify from the Army Headquarters whether we did it or not.

    “For the police, we bought 20 APCs for them and we are the only one in the federation that has done that for them.

    “If anyone says the Borno state government is not partnering with the security agencies, it is just one of those tales by moonlight. They are people that want to divide the society that is together. So, we are solidly behind the military.”

    The governor described Boko Haram’s ideology as “devilish”.

    “They do not discriminate on the basis of race, religion. If they see me or Oby Ezekwesili, they will kill us. They are not intimidated by anybody. The ideology of Boko Hram is very devilish. They don’t discriminate, they are just a bunch of lunatics bent on a suicidal mission and may God crush them for all of us,” he said, adding:

    “They have so far identified 54 of the girls. It is an ongoing process and they might identify more because it is an exercise that is currently going on at the Government House in Maiduguri.

    “The last time, I made a simple remark and it was taken completely out of context, but I was saying this because I am the man on ground and can talk favourably on any issue concerning this issue more than anyone sitting comfortably in an office in Abuja here. I know that the security forces are doing their best under the circumstances they find themselves.

    “What they did was that when the video became public, a gentleman made copies of them and sent to us in Maiduguri. I directed the local government chairman to summon some of the parents to come and identify their wards. They were brought to Maiduguri and so far it is an ongoing exercise, where we have been able to identify 54 students by name and it was identified that all the girls in the video are students of the Government Secondary School Chibok.

    “The Federal Government’s claim about Borno State opening of schools in Maiduguri is absolutely nonsense. The Federal Government Colleges in Maiduguri is right now open with students undergoing their final examinations. Are they not Federal institutions? We are not a unitary state; we are a Federation and if we are to permanently close down our schools, what message are we sending to the world? That Boko Haram has won? We met and discussed at length with WAEC who were subsequently intimidated into withdrawing their wards. I have documentary evidence that WAEC agreed to the examination in Chibok and other communities including Maiduguri, but I don’t want to drag it. The issue now is how to get our daughters back.

    “We know the whereabouts of the girls, in the context of the fact that we are the closest to the people. We have a very robust platform and a security alert system, where we have sensitised the communities about alerting us when they notice unusual movements. I will not go further on the locations of where they were sighted or seen due to security reasons. If I do so, I will compromise the safety of those innocent girls. Anytime we get information and we do get information, we relate it to the relevant quarters for them to investigate further.”

     

  • Yobe Speaker: negotiate for girls’ release

    Yobe Speaker: negotiate for girls’ release

    Yobe State House of Assembly Speaker Adamu Dala Dogo has said negotiation with Boko Haram is a step towards the release of the schoolgirls abducted in Chibok, Borno State.

    The Speaker urged the sect to send its emissaries to the Federal Government for negotiation, adding that the government would not negotiate with faceless people.

    He said: “Let them (insurgents) come out and talk with the Federal Government. The government should negotiate with the sect and bring back our girls. But Boko Haram should also send their delegates to negotiate with the government because the government cannot negotiate with faceless people. I think negotiation is another way of solving the problem while the government is considering other options.

    “The use of force will put the lives of those girls on the line. That is the least the parents of the girls and other Nigerians expect.

    “The Federal Government must act responsibly and fast too because time is running out on this matter.

    “One other big solution to the abduction is for all and sundry, irrespective of our religions, to pray for the safe return of the girls. Only prayers can work here. So, I believe Nigerians should intensify their prayers for the release of these girls.”

    On the presidential committee of the abducted Chibok girls, Dala Dogo said: “If soldiers who have weapons cannot rescue those girls, how can a mere committee, comprising of politicians, bring back the girls.

    “In my opinion, only prayers with military action can bring back the girls to their parents. The best the committee will do is to visit Yobe and Borno states and Chibok to meet with the parents of the children. It will then go back to Abuja and submit its report. That will be the end of the story.

    “This is a waste of time, energy and resources. Prayers are key as far as I am concerned.”

    The state is divided on the need for negotiation. Many people do not believe in such a move though others support it.

  • Boko Haram and Nigeria’s future

    SIR: The Boko Haram has lately assumed dramatic and most dangerous dimension with the recent abduction of innocent and harmless girls at Chibok Unity School in Bornu State by the Islamic sect.

    Presently, the U.S. was reported to have arrived in the country with sophisticated military hardware and intelligence for the rescue operation of the abducted girls and for tracking their abductors. Israeli security experts are also expected to assist in the military operations. Other nations have offered similar assistance to Nigeria thereby internationalising a crisis which under normal circumstances ought to have been handled by the Nigerian authorities.

    It is common knowledge that the Boko Haram insurgency has become a threat to the corporate existence of Nigeria. The terrorist organization is already holding Nigeria by the jugular waiting to strangulate her at any moment.

    One issue that has so far eluded both the Nigerian authorities and foreign collaborators however is the issue of unmasking the insurgents’ local and foreign sponsors. The Nigerian authorities should take advantage of the foreign intervention to unravel the mystery surrounding the true identity of both the local and foreign sponsors of this terrible phenomenon known as the Boko Haram with a view to tracking them to face the full weight of the law for their heinous crime against their fatherland and humanity.

     

    • Nze Nwabueze Akabogu (JP)

    Enugwu-Ukwu, Anambra State.

  • PHOTOS: Latest #bringbackourgirls protests

    PHOTOS: Latest #bringbackourgirls protests

  • FG lacks confidence to find Chibok girls – Okonjo-Iweala

    FG lacks confidence to find Chibok girls – Okonjo-Iweala

    The federal government lacks the confidence to thump its chest and say categorically that it can find the abducted schoolgirls, the Minister of Finance, Dr. Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, has said.

    Okonjo-Iweala said this while answering questions thrown at her by Katie Couric of Yahoo News.

    She said, “No one can answer that question. There is no one who can tell you with confidence. What we can tell you is that every single possible resource will be used to track these girls. You are dealing with people who are irrational.”

    When reminded that there is a tidal wave of criticism about the Nigerian government’s response to the kidnapping, the minister said “the government did not communicate what it was doing previously, because there was some element of reticence so as not to cause harm to the girls.

    “That should not have been the case, it should have been that there was communication so that the Nigerian public and the parents of these girls know that action is being taken,” she stated.

    Okonjo-Iweala continued: “President Goodluck Jonathan has openly pledged his commitment to do everything to rescue these girls, and the government has stepped up action. It has appealed to the international community for help and is accepting help from the United States, France, the United Kingdom and China and they are all coming in.

    “The government has stepped up the number of troops that are working there and is working with countries that have satellite imagery to do more.”

    When asked how trustworthy President Jonathan is and why the families seem to know where the girls are but the government does not, the minister dismissed what she called characterization as incorrect.

    “They searched in the Sambisa forest, they were not using aerial surveillance, they were not able to find the girls. This is a large area and it is not clear whether they (abducted girls) are still together in a group or whether they have been split up, and the whole idea is that nothing should be done to harm the girls. In the past, the country has used some aerial surveillance but you can’t do that because you don’t want to end up harming the girls.”

    On how the government plans to stop the sect, who want women to stop going to school and getting jobs, the finance minister said, “we are going to stop the extremists with a multi-prong approach. It is not a simple thing; there is the military angle, the insurgency angle, the political angle that has to be pursued and also there is the development angle where we have to give our young people hope and make sure that their school is not interfered with, that they feel more secure.”

     

  • Chibok: 54 girls identified in video, says Borno Governor

    Chibok: 54 girls identified in video, says Borno Governor

    Borno State Governor, Kashim Shettima has confirmed that 54 of the  young girls shown in a video released by the Boko ‎Haram sect  are part of schoolgirls abducted at Government Secondary School Chibok .‎

    Governor Shettima confirmed the identification in Abuja on Tuesday during a press briefing held after a peaceful procession by coalition of civil society bodies and activists under the Bring Back Our Girls initiative in Abuja

    Isa Gusau , Special Adviser to the Governor on Communications said in a statement that  the girls were identified by their names at an exercise that involved some parents of the girls, fellow students that include escapees from abduction, some teachers, security men and some officials of the Borno State Government led by the Chief of Staff to the Government House,Abubakar Kyari.

    The parents and students were conveyed to the Government House in Maiduguri to make for an open identification exercise‎.

    The identified  schoolgirls are:
    1.     Agnes Gafane

     2. Saraya Stober
    3.   Hauwa Bitrus
    4.  Hajara Isa
    5.    Na’omi Philimun
    6.   Hauwa Abdu (1st Speaking)
    7.   Magret Yama
    8.   Shitta Abdu
    9.    Jummai Muta
    10.Ladi Paul
    11.   Roda Peter
    12.  Filo Dauda
    13.  Godiya Bitrus
    14. Saratu Tauji (2nd Speaking)
    15. Ross Daniel
    16.Hauwa Ali
    17. Hajara Isa (Amira 3rd Speaking)
    18.Luba Afga
    19.Na’omi Luka
    20.  Saraya Emos Ali
    21. Bilkisu Abdullahi
    22.     Mairama Ali
    23.      Maryam Ali Maiyanga
    24.      Dabora Abbas
    25.       Kabu Mala
    26.       Halima Ali
    27.          Yana Bukar
    28.         Solomi Pugu
    29.         Lydia Emmar
    30.         Luba Sanda
    31.   Saraya Samuel
    32.         Comfort Habila
    33.           Rejoice Shanki
    34.        Gloria Yaga
    35.     ‎Mary Nkeki
    36.          Moda Baba
    37.           Hauwa Isuwa
    38.           Patient Jacob
    39.           Ladi Jajel
    40.            Abigel Bukar
    41. Fanta Lawan
    42.       Zainabu Yaga
     
    43.     Aisha Lawan Zanna
    44.          Dokas Yakubu
    45.        Kabu Mala
    46.         Maryama Bashir
    47.      Hauwa M. Maina
    48.     Mary  G. Dauda
    49.      Susana Yakubu
    50.        Maryam Abbas
    51.  Laraba John
    52.     Hanatu Nuhu
    53.        Na’ omi Bukar
    54.       Rifkatu Galang
     

    .

  • Chibok: UK sends minister to Nigeria

    The United Kingdom’s Foreign Office Minister, Mark Simmonds, will meet with Nigerian government officials on Tuesday for high-level meetings to discuss further assistance.

    The meeting will explore what further assistance and advice the UK can provide in support of Nigeria’s efforts to secure the girls’ release and to deal with the threat posed by the Boko Haram sect.

    The UK team of experts, in Abuja since May 9, is co-operating closely with the government and other international partners to provide assistance to Nigeria in dealing with this abduction and addressing longer term challenges.

    Simmonds said:” This is a horrific and heartbreaking situation and the UK wants to do all it can to offer support to the Nigerian efforts to secure the release of the kidnapped girls. We condemn the actions of Boko Haram and all that they stand for. Monday’s callous and shocking video of some of the missing schoolgirls will only make it harder for their families to deal with this agonizing ordeal. This shows exactly why the UK and others have sent teams to help the Nigerians in their efforts to find them and bring them home.

    “Continuing murders and abductions of school children, particularly girls in Nigeria by Boko Haram are a stark reminder of the threat faced by women and girls in conflict prone areas. Young children are being denied universal freedoms such as an education. They are being denied opportunity and the ability to live their lives as they choose. Girls are being threatened with sexual violence in forced marriages.

    “I look forward to discussing further ways that the UK and international partners can work with Nigeria in helping them secure the girls’ release, as well as how we can assist with economic and developmental solutions to address Boko Haram in the longer term.”

    British High Commissioner, Andrew Pocock, said: “The abductions have been traumatic for the Nigerian people. Britain, as a friend of Nigeria, is working urgently to help the Nigerian authorities in their efforts to find the girls and tackle longer term challenges in the north, such as education and stability.”

  • Chibok: Five girls identified by classmates in video

    About five students of the Government College Chibok abducted by Boko Haram have been identified by their colleagues in the video released yesterday by the terrorist groups

    The students who were shielded from the the media spent hours inside the office of the Chief of Staff  to the Borno State governor, Habu Kyari only to be driven away to  the government house.

    They were escorted out by the Chairman of  Chibok local government area Baana Lawan who took them out of the complex.

    Lawan has also been given the mandate to duplicate the tape of the girls and distribute to parents for identification to be sure that the release is not a fake one but that  of all the teenagers abducted by insurgents almost a month ago.

    There has also been mixed reactions by parents who watched the video of their daughters in captivity inside Sambisa as released by the insurgents.

    Some of them saw their kids while others  could not and were completely devastated about the development.

    A particular parent, Samuel Bulama said that he saw two of his nieces Absatu Abubakar and Aisha Abubakar and was pleased that at least they were still alive and that meant good news for their parents.

    “I was able to recognize my nieces but I am not happy about the fact that the president who is in charge of security is unable to bring them back to us. It is really painful.

    “Equally, I do not accept that they have put them inside hyjabs in the name of Islam. No religion uses force to convert people so by the grace  of God my nieces age 19 and 21 are still Christians and there is nothing Boko Haram can do about it when they are free. ” he said

    Reacting to the development, Secretary of the elders forum in Borno Bulama Gubio told The Nation that it was obvious that the insurgents have a strong source with which they receive funds because the hyjabs put on were as expensive as N4,000 which is a lot of money.

    “The picture shown is real and I think the government should take it very serious by ensuring that they do all they can to free the girls unhurt” Guibo said