Britain, Franceand China have joined the battle to rescue the school girls abducted by the fundamentalist sect, Boko Haram.
They are to deploy their Satellite Imaging capabilities and other advanced tracking technologies to assist Nigeria in rescuing the over 200 girls abducted in Chibok, Borno State.
The President’s Special Adviser on Media and Publicity, Dr. Reuben Abati, broke the news yesterday. He told State House correspondent that the President spoke with the British Prime Minister, Mr. David Cameron, on the phone yesterday after meeting with Premier Li Keqiang of China at the Presidential Villa, Abuja.
The United States’ offer to help has also been accepted.
U.S. President Barack Obama said in a report monitored on television: “Obviously it’s a heartbreaking situation. Outrageous situation. We’ve already sent in a team to Nigeria. They’ve accepted our help through a combination of military, law enforcement, and other agencies which are going in, trying to identify where in fact these girls might be and provide them help.”
Abati said: “In furtherance of efforts by the Federal Government to locate and rescue the girls abducted from the Government Girls Secondary School, Chibok, President Goodluck Ebele Jonathan Wednesday requested and received a commitment from Britain to deploy its intelligence gathering resources in support of Nigeria’s security agencies currently engaged in the search and rescue operation.”
“President Jonathan, who spoke with the British Prime Minister, Mr. David Cameron on telephone after meeting with Premier Li Keqiang of China, who is on an official visit to Nigeria, asked and received a promise of the deployment of British Satellite Imaging capabilities and other advanced tracking technologies in support of the ongoing effort.”
“The President thanked Mr. Cameron, the British Government and people for their concern over the fate of the abducted girls and their willingness to provide concrete assistance to save the girls from the terrorists who seized them from their school.”
According to him, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs will liaise with the British Government through its High Commission in Nigeria to work out practical details of the promised support and collaboration against terrorism.
British Prime Minister David Cameron said: “I’m the father of two young daughters and my reaction is the same as every father or mother in this land or the world. This is an act of pure evil, it has united people across the planet to stand with Nigeria to help find these children and return them to their parents.”
For the Chinese support, Abati said: “The Peoples’ Republic of China has also offered to assist in the effort to rescue the abducted girls. In talks with President Jonathan earlier today, Premier Li Keqiang promised that his country will make any useful information acquired by its satellites and intelligence services available to Nigeria’s security agencies.”
“Mr. Keqiang assured the President that China will support Nigeria’s fight against terrorism in every possible way, including the training of military personnel for anti-insurgency operations.”
Francejoined yesterday the United States and Britain in offering to send security service agents to Nigeria to help rescue the girls.
With more than 4,000 troops operating between Mali to the west and Central African Republic to the east, Paris has a major interest in preventing Nigeria’s security situation from deteriorating, having previously voiced concerns that Boko Haram could spread further north into the Sahel.
Having ousted al Qaeda-linked militants from Mali last year, France is planning to redeploy its forces across West Africa this summer to target Islamist groups taking advantage of porous borders between southern Libya, northern Chad and Niger.
“The President has instructed … to put the (intelligence) services at the disposal of Nigeria and neighboring countries,” Foreign Minister Laurent Fabius told lawmakers.
“This morning he asked us to contact the Nigerian president to tell him that a specialised unit with all the means we have in the region was at the disposal of Nigeria to help find and recover these young girls.”
Boko Haram kidnapped more than 200 schoolgirls last month and has threatened to sell them into slavery, causing global outrage and bringing the Nigerian-based group firmly into the international spotlight.
“In the face of such ignominy, France must react. This crime cannot be left unpunished,” Fabius said.
A French diplomatic source said Paris had an existing military and intelligence cooperation with Nigeria, but that it was offering an additional “specialised team” from the external DGSE intelligence service.
“The Nigerian authorities have to get back to us and tell us exactly what their needs are,” the source said, adding that Fabius was due to speak to his Nigerian counterpart later yesterday.
President Francois Hollande, during a trip to Abuja in February, promised help to fight Boko Haram, saying Nigeria’s struggle was also that of France.
“This may be the catalyst the international community needs to fight Boko Haram,” another diplomat said.
In February 2013, the group kidnapped a French family of seven on holiday in northern Cameroon, releasing them months later.
Hollande at the time denied a ransom had been paid, but a confidential Nigerian government report seen by Reuters said Boko Haram was given the equivalent of $3.15 million by French and Cameroonian negotiators.
The kidnapping was one of a series of attacks on French targets in West Africa since France launched a military intervention in Mali to oust al Qaeda Islamists who had forged links with Boko Haram.
Nigeria has complained that the Far North region of Cameroon is being used by Boko Haram militants to transport weapons and hide from a six-month military offensive against them. It has appealed to Cameroon to tighten border security.
Officials in Niger, where France has based surveillance drones, have also voiced concern about infiltration by Boko Haram across the country’s southern border.
“We’re already at the forefront of the fight against terrorists in the Sahel and with borders so easy to cross these groups are linked,” one of the diplomats said. “We have knowledge in neighboring countries that can help.”
Pentagon: no military operations planned yet for Nigeria
The U.S. will not launch any military operations in Nigeria, it was learnt yesterday.
The Pentagon is sending fewer than 10 military troops as part of the U.S. effort to help find the girls.
A Pentagon spokesman said officials have no plans now to launch any military operations.
Pentagon spokesman Col. Steve Warren said the troops would be arriving in a few days as part of the larger U.S. assistance team to include State Department and Justice Department personnel. The military members will help with communications, logistics and intelligence planning.
Warren said the U.S. was talking with Nigeria about information and intelligence sharing, but nothing had been decided.
There are already about 70 military personnel in Nigeria, including 50 regularly assigned to the embassy, and 20 Marines have been there for training.
