Imo State Governor Rochas Okorocha has said the Igbo will not use the platform of any separatist group, including the Movement for the Actualisation of Sovereign State of Biafra (MASSOB), to pursue the Igbo agenda.
Okorocha, who distanced Southeast governors and leaders from the pro-Biafra groups, said the zone did not need an armed struggle associated with militia groups to attract economic and infrastructural development.
The governor, who spoke at a breakfast meeting with reporters, noted that the zone’s setbacks could not be addressed by antagonising the North and West, but by mutual cooperation and support for the All Progressives Congress-led (APC) Federal Government.
His words: “The Igbo will not use the agitation for Biafra as a platform to negotiate the place of Ndigbo, but will support the President Muhammadu Buhari’s administration to attract the dividends of democracy that eluded us in the past.
“We should try to jettison religious sentiments and support President Buhari. The Igbo will not use Biafra as a front; we condemn those agitating for Biafra because that is not Ndigbo’s need”.
But the senator representing Kaduna Central, Shehu Sani, has said agitation for Biafra is a plan ‘B’ action promoted by pro-Jonathan forces to undermine President Muhammadu Buhari’s administration.
Sani, who spoke during an interaction with reporters in Kaduna yesterday, said: “The new agitation for Biafra is a misguided, ill-conceived and ill-fated course.
“The Biafra agitation is a new attempt to destroy the President Muhammadu Buhari’s administration, to ignite a national conflict and cause chaos, pandemonium and confusion. It is not reflective of the interest and generality of the Igbo people.”
The senator said the Igbo had made progress since the civil war, adding that their future was better guaranteed and sustained within a united Nigeria.
Sani said: “Those attempting to wake up the Biafran course are of three categories. The first are young men with no knowledge of the tragedy, suffering and hardship Nigerians endured during the Civil War. The second category are desperate forces hiding behind the Biafran agitation to undermine our national unity and destroy theMuhammadu Buhari’s administration.
“And the third group are simply warmongers, who want crisis in an era of peace and progress. So, I will say this in clear terms: Nigeria is an indivisible entity and we have since gone beyond the Civil War.”
The people of the Southeast, Sani said, had the right within the ambit of the constitution to demand to be recognised and respected as equal partners in the Nigerian project.
He cautioned that their agitation must, however, be within the ambit of respect for the indivisibility of Nigeria and the constitution.
”As long as we realise the change agenda, entrench good governance and run an all-inclusive government, the Biafran agitation will naturally fizzle out.
“Nigerians must be patient with the President Buhari’s administration. It is wrong for people to accuse him of not performing, taking cognisance of the rot in the last 16 years.
“We have no reason to give excuses and lament the problems of Nigeria when Nigerians are desirous of change and progress,” Sani said.
Since President Muhammadu Buhari spoke about his administration’s talks with Boko Haram, many Nigerians have been wondering how the dialogue will end. They recall that the Jonathan administration burnt its fingers negotiating with the sect. But lawyers endorse the talks since, according to them, they are all about getting back the Chibok girls. Precious Igbonwelundu reports.
President Muhammadu Buhari said the Federal Government was talking with Boko Haram on the release of the over 200 girls abducted at the Government Secondary School, Chibok, Borno State, on April 14, last year.
He was responding to questions from members of Nigerians In Diaspora Organisation (NIDO), France. The President told his audience that the sect was demanding the release of its Improvised Explosive Devices (IEDs) strategist in exchange for the girls.
The kidnap of the girls from on their school remains a big blow to the nation, especially because the insurgents, dressed in military camouflage, were said to have conveyed them in seven lorries. Their school was razed.
Unable to withstand the emotional and psychological trauma of having their children with the group, which alleged that it had married them off, some of the parents died. Others are yet to recover from strange illness.
Despite efforts by the multinational joint security team and experts from other parts of the world, the girls have not been rescued.
The military has combed every area, including the Sambisa Forest where it is believed the girls are being held.
There is a clamour for the girls’ return, which President Buhari noted during his France trip.
Buhari said: ‘‘The issue of Chibok girls has occupied our minds and because of the international attention it drew and the sympathy throughout the country and the world, the government is negotiating with some of the Boko Haram leadership.
‘‘They wanted us to release one of their leaders, who is a strategic person in developing and making IEDs that is causing a lot of havoc in the country by blowing people in Churches, Mosques, market places, motor parks and others. But it is very important that if we are going to talk to anybody, we have to know how much he is worth.
Belgore
“Let them bring all the girls and then, we will be prepared to negotiate. I will allow them to come back to Nigeria or to be absolved in the community. We have to be very careful, the concern we have for the Chibok girls, one only imagine if they got a daughter there between 14 and 18 and for more than one year and a half year, a lot of the parents, who have died would rather see the graves of their daughters than the condition they imagine they are in.
“This has drawn a lot of sympathy throughout the world, that is why this government is getting very hard in negotiating and getting the balance of those who are alive.’’
Although Buhari’s disclosure was to reassure the people of government’s commitment to rescuing the girls as promised, critics have described the negotiation as an acknowledgment of weakness by the Federal Government.
They condemned the government’s move on the grounds that the sect has killed over 20 thousand people in very gruesome ways since 2009; kidnapped hundreds, including women and children, some of whom have been used as suicide bombers; razed public and private property; made millions fugitives as well as taking up arms against the state.
According to them, the terrorists should have been flushed out by the military, which is already winning the battle, or arrested alive and prosecuted for treason and war crimes.
The critics believe that the negotiation will not yield any positive outcome, especially because the previous administration tried negotiating with the sect without success.
To them, it will be impossible to negotiate with a sect whose purpose for fighting is to islamise the country, and which has various factions, is faceless and has pledged loyalty to the Islamic State (IS).
Agbaje
However, many Nigerians, including the Centre for Crisis Communication, see nothing wrong in exploring and exploiting every opportunity that will lead to freeing all Boko Haram captives and ending terrorism.
But they argue that the issue must be thoroughly debated to ensure a practical and enduring end to the menace if the government was considering amnesty for the insurgents.
To this group, dialogue should be open for genuine leaders of the sect who are committed to keeping their side of the bargain, with the interest of humanity at heart, just as they noted that every conflict or crisis usually ends on the negotiation table.
They insisted that the government must ensure it negotiates from a point of strength by ensuring that the terrorists surrender their arms and promise never to engage in such activities again. It must also ensure that they are rehabilitated before being absorbed into society.
The supporters argued that the terrorists were feeling the heat of the seriousness of the current government to nib terrorism in the bud, and have as such, reached out for negotiations in order to embrace peace, which the government should consider.
Lawyers, who shared their view on the issue, said there was nothing wrong with negotiating with the terrorists, as long as the government got the girls back and put an end to the menace. They advised the government to ensure a comprehensive list of the abducted girls is available, before starting the negotiations, to avoid being fooled by the insurgents.
Those, who spoke on the issue include professor of law, Itse Sagay (SAN); constitutional lawyers, Chief Niyi Akintola (SAN), Dele Belgore (SAN), Dr. Fred Agbaje and former Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) Ikeja Branch Chairman, Monday Ubani.
sagay
Sagay said the government is right to negotiate because of the girls, whose situation has left a void in the heart of the country and the world.
“Each side has to give something. I thought the terrorists will seek to surrender without grievous consequences since many of them have committed treason and war crimes. But with their demand that their bomb maker be released, it is left for the government to consider the consequences of releasing the suspect.
“If the government can ensure that they can no longer assemble these explosives to continue killing people. It will be a bitter pill to swallow if that should happen. If that is taken care of, there is nothing wrong with the swap.
“Government will be given a list of the number of persons in the terrorists’ net that they are willing to release. I think the action that will be taken at the end will be based on the number of people available, alive and whom the terrorists are willing to release.’’
Akintola said it was a great idea and practised globally.
“There is nothing wrong with negotiation as long as the government is not blackmailed. There is nowhere in the world
Niyi Akintola
where crisis does not end on the negotiation table. I do not see anything wrong with it, but government must negotiate from a point of strength, so that new groups are not motivated to pick up arms against the state.
Belgore criticised the fact that the planned negotiation was publicised.
“The classical view in this kind of engagement is that you don’t negotiate with terrorists, but we all know that even countries who proclaim this view do negotiate through the backdoor where the situation demands.
“We live in an imperfect world and ideological or policy positions frequently have to give way to practicalities.
“Bringing back our girls would in itself be a victory in the war against Boko Haram, even if it’s a negotiated release. What I don’t understand is why it has to be announced before hand,” Belgore said.
Similarly, Agbaje supported the moves on grounds that the insurgents must release all the girls, including pregnant ones, if there are any.
He said: ‘‘Initially, I was adamant about negotiation with terrorists, but now, in view of the fact that the girls have suffered alot, as well as their parents, I do not think any sacrifice is too much.
“But the terrorists must release all the girls whether pregnant or not, in exchange for the bomb maker; they must assure Nigerians that the truce will be the end of Boko Haram, or any other terrorist group, any of their members might want to start.’’
To Ubani, the government should be cautious in negotiating and swapping the suspect for the girls if their intentions are genuine.
“I think that negotiation with caution should be advised in the situation. The government is advised to discuss with genuine and credible leaders of the terrorists. If the terms include an honest swap with our stolen girls, I will support such negotiation that will lead to the release of our girls without any harm.
“Should their leaders be swapped? Yes, if they will honestly release all our girls complete and intact! Should they be exonerated? Very serious question that requires wise and careful answer. If they will stop the killings, repent of their evil ways and undertake never to disturb the peace of the country, then we can take a look at them with some level of forgiveness.
“Remember I said with some level of forgiveness, they must not be forgiven totally. However, the government must, as of necessity, pay heavy compensation to families that lost lives and properties as a result of the madness of these fellows, who took up arms against their country and against their fellow citizens.
“The country must, in addition, institute a strong panel to unravel the genesis of this madness, what precipitated it, the quantum of loss of lives and properties and what should be done to ensure that never again should we as a nation pass through this inglorious road of shedding of blood and wanton destruction of properties of the country and that of fellow citizens by any group whatsoever.
“The country must be sincere to itself by agreeing to ask all the ethnic groups in Nigeria whether we want to stay together as one indivisible nation? If the answer is in the affirmative, the terms and conditions of staying together should be well spelt out in a constitution drawn and affirmed to by the people of Nigeria.
“If the answer is resounding “NO”, then the process for separation should be worked out peacefully to enable the separation take place without loss of lives or properties. Unity is not forced, it is earned, we must not continue to endure this forced marriage if it is not working out.
“If it must work out, the ingredients of justice and equity must be brought in generously to ensure the happiness of all ethnic groups in the union. The present leadership at the centre possess all it takes to bring in these ingredients to make Nigeria work and live in peace again; yes they can.’’ he said.
News24.com understands that CSKA Moscow and Guangzhou R&F continue to haggle over a transfer fee for Nigeria international Aaron Samuel.
The Russian Premier League side have failed to meet the attacker’s five million euros buy-out clause after several months of negotiations but they have agreed to insert a 10 per cent sell – on fee on top of the 3.5 million euros that has been offered.
Unlike some European teams, Guangzhou R&F are backed by real estate developers and don’t have cash flow problems, and are reluctant to do business with the Muscovites except they cough up 5 million euros.
But CSKA Moscow power brokers are confident a deal is imminent, with the club instructing Aaron Samuel to start processing his visa to Russia.
A five – year contract has been offered to the Guangzhou R&F frontman but the player and his intermediary have insisted that the duration of the agreement should be four seasons.
The 21 year old has maintained his professionalism while talks are ongoing, and netted a brace in Guangzhou R&F’s 2 – 2 draw with Guizhou Renhe in the Super League on Thursday.
Aaron Samuel was hotly linked with a move to Monaco in the winter of 2014 but the transfer failed to materialize.
THE Nigerian Shippers’ Council (NSC) on Friday called for negotiation with the Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA) to achieve a reduction of tariffs at ports.
The Executive Secretary of the NSC, Mr Hassan Bello, made the call in Lagos during a courtesy visit to NPA’s headquarters in Lagos.
Bello said the negotiation would involve dialogue and constant meetings with the authority to proffer solutions to tariff increase at the ports.
He commended the authority for the introduction of the e-payment and e-berthing systems which had been improving maritime services.
The executive secretary said the e-payment system was in line with international standards.
“There is capital improvement in dredging of channels which indicates that the Nigerian maritime services are moving gradually to be the hub in West Africa.
“NPA should consider multiple access roads while contracting out access roads leading to the Lekki Deep seaport, so that the constant gridlock happening in Apapa and Tin-Can ports will not persist at Lekki.
“Constant dredging of Nigerian waters has enabled bigger vessels to visit our ports,” the executive secretary said.
Bello acknowledged that Nigerian ports had been having huge traffic of cargo coming in.
He urged NPA to look into expansion of port access roads as well as roads linking various terminals and quay aprons in the terminals.
Bello said that the continuous gridlock on the ports’ access roads had affected efficiency at the ports, adding that the NSC was interested in reduction of the costs of doing business at ports.
He requested that NPA should provide offices where officials of the NSC could carry out some of their functions.
“To decongest the ports access road, we want to see 70 per cent of cargo moved through the off- dock terminals by promoting the Inland Container Depots.
“The ICD is a place where you load and discharge cargo but the only difference is that there is no water,” Bello said.
He, however, said that there was ICD in six locations- Jos, Funtua, Maiduguri, Isiala Ngua (Abia), Ibadan and Kano.
In his response, the Managing Director of NPA, Alhaji Sanusi Ado Bayero, pledged to support the NSC to ensure that the Nigerian Maritime industry flourished.
Bayero said that NPA had embarked on various technologies to improve on customers’ demands and enhance trade facilitation.
“We engage in constant dredging of our waters to attract bigger vessel into the country.
“We have been engaging our officials in all the ports to ensure that we fulfill the council’s request for offices in all ports.
“NPA is aware of the off-dock terminals. There is no way we would not work with the economy regulator,” he said.
He said the authority had never made any attempt to increase the tariffs but it (NPA) did so in 2014 following complaints of terminal operators to enable them meet their targets.
•Police authorities can only worsen the situation by resorting to arm-twisting of policemen who have served strike notice
The Inspector-General of Police (IGP), Mr. Sulaiman Abba, issued a gratuitous threat to his fellow officers who want to embark on industrial action. The IGP ought to have responded to the allegation that the authorities have failed to live up to their duty to the law enforcement officers. The men, mainly those who were promoted from the ranks of sergeant to inspectors and others elevated from inspectors to assistant superintendent of police (ASP) were said to have kicked against promotions that brought no financial benefits to them.
Beyond the 10,000 men directly affected by the non-payment, others are said to be spoiling for a fight if only to underscore the demands for better condition of living in the barracks, welfare system and prompt payment of salaries and allowances.
Last year, widows of policemen and soldiers felled in battles against the Boko Haram insurgents in the northeast and a Nasarawa local militia embarked on street protests to call attention to their neglect. In response, the IGP visited Nasarawa where he promised to facilitate payment of the benefits to the slain officers’ next-of-kin. While we commended the IGP for moving to the scene and meeting with the women, we had called for a transparent and functional payment system in the Police Force.
We restate that position that, rather than talk tough at the men and cite rules forbidding policemen from constituting themselves into unions or embarking on strike, the police authorities should demonstrate good faith by ensuring that all payments due to those called out to curb crimes in the society are remitted without delay. It is a right, not a privilege.
The rank and file of the force had embarked on a similar strike during the Obasanjo administration. All threats failed to prevent the strike that exposed the society to a free reign of the men of the underworld in February 2006. Eventually, the Obasanjo government had to order the release of funds to the police authorities to settle the commitments. That was after drafting of soldiers proved inadequate in ensuring that civil matters usually handled in the police stations could not be handled by any other persons. We urge the IGP to learn from that experience and engage the men in dialogue forthwith.
It also bears pointing out that salary and emoluments of workers are covered in the budget. Why then did the police fail to pay as and when due? The IGP should realise that this is an election period when the services of the Police Force would be required all over the country to safeguard men and materials involved in the exercise.
The Nigerian state has a responsibility to all citizens, to promote their welfare and security and, to ensure this, it must directly and particularly cater to the wellbeing of law enforcement officers. Over the years, the policemen have been poorly kitted for the task assigned them. This has made them soft targets of rampaging criminals. This is hardly a template for a motivated force. Rather than talk back at the angry men, the Inspector-General should undertake to balance the rights of his men against their responsibilities. Only then could the image of the Police Force improve and the men genuinely encouraged to lay down their lives for a caring society.
Another strike by the Police Force at this point could only further complicate matters in a tension-soaked country. It can and must be prevented.
OYO State Governor Abiola Ajimobi has appealed to the Federal Government to enter into negotiations with the Nigerian Medical Association (NMA) to resolve the impasse over the sack of 16,000 resident doctors.
He made the appeal yesterday in Ibadan while addressing members of the state’s branch of the NMA, led by its Chairman, Dr. Muideen Olatunji.
The doctors were on a peaceful protest to his office.
Ajimobi said rather than resorting to punitive measures, the Federal Government should reach a compromise with them in the interest of Nigerians.
He said the sack of the doctors would aggravate the already deplorable health condition of Nigerians and lead to increase deaths.
Olatunji, in his response, said members of the association condemned the sack of the resident doctors.
He presented a letter of protest to Ajimobi to be delivered to the Federal Government.
The state NMA chairman said government at all levels should improve the nation’s health facilities and redouble their efforts in improving the welfare of doctors.
About 1,000 doctors, shortly after their congress, marched on the streets of Ibadan to protest the sack.
Olatunji, in an interview with reporters, announced that the association had directed that no doctor should accept or collect any sack letter.
The NMA chairman added: “No doctor in this state should sign any register opened by the government or her agents. For the avoidance of doubt, no medical doctor no matter how hungry, should pick up any low appointment with government’s hospitals as directed by the circular.”
Olatunji urged doctors to remain committed towards curtailing the Ebola outbreak.
He advised governments to ensure that all persons under surveillance for the virus did not travel outside their domain or residence.
Senate President David Mark has warned the Federal Government not to negotiate with Boko Haram unless the abducted 234 girls are freed unconditionally.
This is even as Senate Leader Victor Ndoma-Egba expressed support for Mark’s earlier call for a full scale military action against the insurgents.
Mark spoke at the weekend at St. Patrick Catholic Church, Asaba, Delta State, during the funeral service for Lady Obi-Bridget Ngbelenwa Okpuno, mother of High Chief Uche Okpuno.
A statement yesterday in Abuja by his Chief Press Secretary Paul Mumeh quoted the Senate President as saying the government should avoid any negotiation with the sect.
Mark said: “The current situation in the country – where some children have taken arms against their own country – is totally unacceptable. Parents must share in the blame.
“I have been an advocate for dialogue with the Boko Haram elements in this country. But things have gone absolutely beyond bounds and no government will negotiate with Boko Haram members as long as they keep our girls and boys.
“They must free those they have abducted unconditionally. Nobody is going to negotiate with them on that basis.”
The Senate President warned the sect not to test the will of Nigerians.
He added: “They (Boko Haram members) must never test the will of the government. They must never test the will of the Nigerian Armed Forces. Above all, they must never test the will of the Nigerian people because we must stand united against evil.
“They must have taken government decision to negotiate with them for weakness. They must not. The Nigerian Armed Forces have performed creditably well across the globe. They will do even better at home to preserve our unity and sovereignty.”
Mark prayed God to touch the hearts of the abductors of the Chibok schoolgirls in Borno State to free them unconditionally.
He insisted that negotiation was no longer an option but full military action against the abductors.
Mark said: “They (insurgents) have touched the hearts and souls of Nigerians by abducting and kidnapping our children. Children are our future. They have, in effect, declared war on Nigeria and Nigerians.
“We are not going to sit down and fold our arms. The Federal Government must intensify military action against the perpetrators and bring the issue of Boko Haram to a logical conclusion.
“But while we pray, we will take the battle to their ground. They should return their victims unconditionally, before we can call for dialogue.”
As legal team prepares for talks, gulf between what company and impoverished villagers claim happened remains vast.
Five years after a Shell pipeline burst twice, massively polluting fishing grounds in the Niger delta, the company will finally sit down on Monday with affected villagers to negotiate compensation and possibly start to clean up what some experts say was one of the largest spills in one of the world’s poorest regions.
According to The Guardian UK, as Shell’s top legal team prepared to fly to Nigeria for talks in a Port Harcourt hotel, the gulf between what the $175bn (£112bn) a year company and the impoverished villagers of Bodo claim happened in 2008 remains vast. Shell admits liability for the spills and, using figures from an official inspection group, says that about 4,000 barrels of oil flooded into the mangrove swamps and creeks when its pipeline burst.
But independent analysis by US oil spill expert Richard Steiner suggests it was nearer 500,000 barrels. Equally, the oil company argues that relatively few people had their livelihood destroyed while the villagers say the spills affected up to 11,000 people. The company is thought to be offering about $20m compensation, but the villagers are holding out for $200m.
On Thursday, both sides squared up to each other in London. “Until the two 2008 spills, Bodo was a relatively prosperous fishing town. The spills have destroyed the fishing industry. Shell’s response has not been to try and speedily recompense the people of the community but to delay and prevaricate. Shell … have provided one-off relief materials in June 2009 amounting to 100 bags of rice, beans, sugar, 100 cartons of milk, tea, tomatoes and oil in June 2009 which was entirely inadequate for a community of 31,000 people,” said Martyn Day, senior partner with London law firm Leigh Day, which is representing the Bodo community.
CHAIRMAN of the Northern States Governors’ Forum (NSGF) Babangida Aliyu yesterday gave a fresh condition for the would-be president in 2015, saying the North would be prepared to negotiate the exalted office.
Aliyu has consistently said President Goodluck Jonathan signed a pact with North’s leaders to serve a four-year single term.
He, however, said the region was prepared to go along with whoever emerged as the President in 2015, adding that the North will negotiate properly with those seeking the exalted office.
The Niger State Governor ruled out the possibility of the North blindly voting for any candidate in the general polls without first safe-guarding its interests.
Aliyu spoke at the weekend during the inauguration of an office complex built by Edati Local Government Area for employees of federal Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs), deployed to Enagi, the council headquarters.
Aliyu said: “The North is prepared to follow whoever is duly elected in 2015. Whoever emerges as the president after a due and constitutional process, the North will support. But we are going to ensure that we properly negotiate for our interest and ensure that it is protected.”
He denied the allegation that he has been advocating only northern candidates to seek the country’s highest office in 2015, maintaining that his position was that the promises made to the region are kept in the collective interest of all.
The governor also frowned at the activities of some Abuja politicians, especially from his state, whom he accused of working against the interest of the region for selfish gains.
Aliyu, who did not name such politicians, noted that their stock-in-trade was to flaunt their influence in Abuja and with the President, “all in an attempt to earn favour of the presidency in the 2015 bid” at the expense of the entire region.
The governor cautioned against moves by self-seeking politicians to bring religion into the politics of his state, stressing that such move would not be accepted.
“Here in Niger, we do not play the politics of religion. Such attitude would negate the development drive of the state and that of the country at large,” Aliyu warned.
Commending the efforts of Edati council chief, Isah Kantigi, to improve the lot the electorate, the governor noted that the projects implemented by the council showed that the state government was not meddling in the management of funds allocated to it.
“What we are witnessing today shows that we don’t interfere with our councils’ funds. That is why some of the councils have embarked on meaningful projects that touch people’s lives.
“Edati Local Government Chairman has proved right by the projects executed today.”
Aliyu promised a tour of the 25 local councils to appraise the projects being implemented at the grassroots ahead the council elections next year.
The Edati council chair said his council slashed the overhead by 50 per cent to fund projects worth N260 million.
Kantigi listed such projects to include the construction of offices for federal employees, a magistrate’s court and a 15-kilometre road.
He pledged that the council under him would continue to implement projects that have direct impact on the residents, notwithstanding the paucity of funds.
France will not negotiate with Boko Haram gunmen who have taken a French family of seven hostage, the country’s Defence Minister, Jean-Yves Le Drian, said yesterday.
The three adults and four children were kidnapped in Cameroon’s far north, near the Nigerian border in Borno State, last week. In a video posted online on Monday, the gunmen threatened to kill them, unless authorities in Nigeria and Cameroon released militants held there.
“We do not negotiate on that kind of basis, with this kind of groups,” Le Drian told RTL radio. “We will use all [other] possible means to ensure that these and other [French] hostages are freed.
“We do not play this bidding game because that’s terrorism,” he said, deploring the fact that children were involved.
The video, posted to YouTube and mentioned on a jihadist website, shows one of two French men reading a statement, with a woman in between them. Four children sit on the ground near them, flanked by two masked militants wearing camouflage uniforms and holding rifles.
A masked militant in front says in the video that Boko Haram kidnapped the French hostages, a family of three adults and four children who were taken from outside a national park in Cameroon’s Far North Region on February 19. A black banner in the background, bearing the images of the Quran flanked by two Kalashnikov assault rifles, also resembles a symbol previously used by Boko Haram.
The man says the kidnappings came due to the French military intervention in northern Mali, where its troops have fought with Malian soldiers against Islamic extremists who took over the north in the months following a coup last year. The man also threatens the Nigerian and Cameroonian governments, calling on them to release their imprisoned members.
“Let the French president know that he has launched war against Islam and we are fighting him everywhere,” the man says in Arabic. “Let him know that we are spread everywhere to save our brothers.”
The man threatens to kill the French hostages if the group’s demands are not met.
The Associated Press could not immediately confirm the video’s authenticity on Monday, though it shares similarities with some Boko Haram propaganda videos published in the past.
However, in this video, the man speaks entirely in Arabic, while other Boko Haram videos have its leader Abu Bakr Shekau also speaking Hausa. Boko Haram has not published a video featuring hostages before. The video appears to have been filmed outside, as prayer mats hung in the background sway in a breeze.
