Osun Government Donates Opon Imo To Rescued Chibok School Girls

Posted on April 7, 2017 by Staff Reporter

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The State Government of Osun as donated Opon Imo ‘Tablets of Knowledge’ to rescued Chibok School girls towards their rehabilitation.

Recall the state government had in 2013 launched a revolutionary tablets of knowledge for senior secondary school students in Osun.

The programme has in the past 4 years placed a computer electronic device in the hands all student, some of which are from poor background and in rural environment where access to such devices would not have been possible.

Performance of students writing the WASSCE examinations has since improved year on year, culminating in a 46% pass rate in five subjects including Mathematics and English in 2016.

Please see below, images of the the Rescued Chibok School girls using their devices.

“Stop the buck-passing on Chibok girls”, FG tells Jonathan.

Posted on March 7, 2017 by Staff Reporter

The Federal Government has urged former President Goodluck Jonathan to stop passing the buck over the Chibok girls who were abducted under his administration.

It described Jonathan’s blame game as an unnecessary distraction from ongoing effort to secure the release of the girls who remained in captivity long after they were abducted.

A British newspaper had during the weekend reported that the British armed forces offered to help the country to rescue the girls but such offers were rebuffed by Jonathan.

In a statement issued yesterday in Abuja, Minister of Information and Culture, Lai Mohammed, said while Jonathan reserves the right to defend his administration, he should not engage in finger-pointing because if anyone ever played politics with the issue of Chibok girls, it was the Jonathan’s administration under whose watch the girls were abducted.

He said: “After the girls were kidnapped and the Jonathan administration did nothing for 15 days or made any determined effort to rescue them, the then opposition All Progressives Congress (APC) told the nation that the Boko Haram crisis was allowed to escalate by the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) government so they can use it as a political tool ahead of the 2015 elections.”

The minister added that the APC had in a statement on September 8, 2014 said that PDP’s political manipulation of the Boko Haram had to be understood as part of its poker-like calculus for clinging to power ahead of the 2015 elections.

“The Boko Haram crisis was used by the PDP to rationalize the government’s abdication of its constitutional responsibilities, including visits and assistance to areas affected, as well as effective response to abductions. For instance, the then government was silent over the kidnap of the Chibok girls for over 15 days,” he added.

“Two-and-a-half years after that statement, we have been vindicated by the report that claimed that Jonathan rebuffed an attempt by the British government to help rescue the girls. We hope Jonathan will now refrain from stoking further controversy over the lingering abduction issue and allow the government of the day to focus on its ongoing negotiations to release the Chibok girls,” Mohammed said.

Source: The Guardian

Jonathan trying to distract us from rescuing Chibok girls – Lai Mohammed

Posted on March 6, 2017 by Staff Reporter

Minister of information and culture, Alhaji Lai Mohammed has accused former President Goodluck Jonathan of trying to distract the current administration from securing the release of the Chibok schoolgirls.

In a statement issued on Monday by Segun Adeyemi, his media aide, Mohammed urged Jonathan to stop engaging in “finger-pointing” over the abduction.

He was reacting to Jonathan’s statement in which he said, “Some people who have obviously been playing politics with the issue of the Chibok girls will stop at nothing to further their interest”.

The former president said this while reacting to reports that he rejected an offer by the British government to rescue the girls.

But Mohammed said Jonathan’s statement was “an unnecessary distraction from ongoing efforts to secure the release of the girls who remain in captivity, long after they were abducted”.

“While former President Jonathan reserves the right to defend his administration, he should not engage in finger-pointing by saying, in a statement, that ‘some people who have obviously been playing politics with the issue of the Chibok girls will stop at nothing to further their interest’, Mohammed said.

He said “if anyone ever played politics with the issue of Chibok girls, it was the administration under whose watch the girls were abducted”.

“After the girls were kidnapped and the Jonathan administration did nothing for all of 15 days or make any determined efforts to rescue them thereafter, our party, the then opposition APC, told the nation several times that the whole Boko Haram crisis was allowed to escalate by the PDP-controlled federal government so they can use it as a political tool ahead of the 2015 elections,” Mohammed said.

“In a statement on 8 September 2014, we said: ‘President Jonathan-PDP’s political manipulation of the Boko Haram has to be understood as part of its poker-like calculus for clinging on to political power ahead of
the 2015 elections. The Boko Haram crisis is readily used by the PDP to rationalise the Jonathan government’s abdication of its constitutional responsibilities, including visits and assistance to areas affected as well as effective response to abductions (eg the GEJ government was silent over the Chibok girls kidnaps for over 15 days).’

“Two-and-a-half years after that statement, we have been vindicated by the report that claimed President Jonathan rebuffed an attempt by the British government to help rescue the girls. We hope the former President will now refrain from stoking further controversy over the lingering abduction issue and allow the government of the day to focus on its ongoing negotiations to secure the release of the Chibok
girls.”

The girls – about 273 – were abducted from a dormitory at Chibok in Borno state on April 14, 2014. Dozens of them have returned, but 192 are still in captivity.

Source: The Cable

The Observer: How Goodluck Jonathan rejected British offer to rescue Chibok girls

Posted on March 5, 2017 by Staff Reporter

British armed forces offered to attempt to rescue nearly 300 Nigerian schoolgirls kidnapped by the Islamist militant group Boko Haram, but were rebuffed by Goodluck Jonathan, Nigeria’s president at the time, the Observer has learned.

In a mission named Operation Turus, the RAF conducted air reconnaissance over northern Nigeria for several months, following the kidnapping of 276 girls from the town of Chibok in April 2014. “The girls were located in the first few weeks of the RAF mission,” a source involved in Operation Turus told the Observer. “We offered to rescue them, but the Nigerian government declined.”

The girls were then tracked by the aircraft as they were dispersed into progressively smaller groups over the following months, the source added.

Chibok is located in Nigeria’s north-eastern Borno state. Today 195 of the girls are still missing. Those who have managed to escape from their kidnappers have told of a life of torture, enslavement, rape, and forced marriages in captivity.

Notes from meetings between UK and Nigerian officials, obtained through the Freedom of Information Act, also suggest that Nigeria shunned international offers to rescue the girls. While Nigeria welcomed an aid package and assistance from the US, the UK and France in looking for the girls, it viewed any action to be taken against kidnapping as a “national issue”.

“Nigeria’s intelligence and military services must solve the ultimate problem,” said Jonathan in a meeting with the UK’s then Africa minister, Mark Simmonds, on 15 May 2014.

A document summarising a meeting in Abuja in September 2014 between Nigeria’s national security adviser and James Duddridge MP, former under-secretary of state at the Foreign Office, shows Operation Turus had advanced to the point where rescue options were being discussed. Minutes from a meeting the following month between Major-General James Chiswell and Jonathan hinted at the frustration felt by those trying to prompt some action from Nigeria.

“[President] Jonathan was still focused on ‘platforms’. General Chiswell said again we could offer advice on what equipment might make sense and how weapon systems might be best deployed,” the October 2014 document stated.

The Nigerian government did not respond to a request for comment. The Foreign Office said: “We wouldn’t comment on specific operational details, which are a matter for the Nigerian government and military.”

Jonathan has drawn criticism at home and abroad for a lack of action and perceived apathy over the kidnappings. The government was slow to mount any response in the weeks after the girls were taken. The governor of Borno, Kashim Shettima, also publicly criticised Jonathan for failing to even call him or any other state official for 19 days after the kidnappings. Jonathan also hit out at the worldwide #BringBackOurGirls campaign, branding it a “manipulation” of the victims of the attack.

Boko Haram had raided the dormitories of the government secondary school at Chibok. The girls staying there had braved warnings of an attack to sit their final examinations. Boko Haram looted the school and then burned it to the ground. The kidnappings also blighted the lives of the girls from the town who were not taken away, as many have been too scared to continue their education.

In addition to Nigeria, Boko Haram is active in regions of Cameroon, Chad and Niger. According to Unicef, more than 1.3 million children have now been displaced. Some of those taken by Boko Haram have been forced to become child soldiers: one in five suicide bombers in Nigeria are believed to be children, and three-quarters of those are girls.

Source: The Guardian

Chude Jideonwo: If we want to change our country, we have 15 lessons to learn from BBOG (I)

Posted on February 13, 2017 by Staff Reporter

You know the tragedy already. The world does. And it’s one we have yet to recover from: 276 Chibok girls kidnapped from their schools under the watch of a functioning Nigerian government, and just under 200 of them yet to be recovered as we speak.

Now, this is the point at which many of us replay our shock, as to how 1036 days after, in a state that is not failed, we still have these girls missing.

Then we remind ourselves that the Chibok girls are not the only victims of this state of affairs. Hundreds of boys and girls, men and women, have been kidnapped by the terrorists of Boko Haram since its 2009 resurgence; many of them remain un-named, untracked, and un-accounted for.

But the Chibok girls are top of mind. We have been unable to forget them, and because of them we are been unable to, as usual, dismiss the uncomfortable fact that fellow Nigerians are living in a war zone from which lives have been disrupted, families have been dislocated, and futures have been dislodged.

The singular reason for this, is the #BringBackOurGirls (BBOG) group.

Because of BBOG, we have been unable to forget the Chibok girls. We have been unable to move on from that point in our national conversation. We have been unable to get to a place of comfortable ignorance.

This has happened because BBOG proved to be a completely different kind of group, wholly unlike anything Nigerian had ever seen before this, and even after it. And because ultimately, BBOG has been that most rare of Nigerian occurrences: effective.

It has been effective in focusing global spotlight on the missing girls. It has been effective in wooing and winning public and media support. It has been effective in commanding and sustaining stakeholder attention especially government.

And most importantly, it has been successful in actually bringing back our girls.

In a society lacking in and disdainful of institutional memory, I am aware of the heartening amount of scholarly research undertaken, at least in the last one year, on the phenomenon that BBOG has become. Generations of change makers interested in understanding the context, culture and imperatives of affecting outcomes in this particular civic space will do well to pay close, and grateful, attention when that body of work hits the body politic.

In the space between now and then however, it is useful to establish a framework within which to understand the success of BBOG as a movement, and its imperative as a model.

I will outline them as the 15 disciplines of the #BringBackOurGirls movement.

The discipline of standards

There has been a clear marker from the beginning of the movement, from the first protests in Abuja, as Obiageli Ezekwesili, Habiba Balogun, Bukonla Shonibare and others stepped on the streets to demand an institutional response to the matter of the missing girls: they demanded that all the girls be rescued, alive.

It looked like only a slogan then. Not so much today.

That demand made clear a marker on the sanctity of human life, and that nothing lower than the restoration of the girls the way their parents deserve to find them, would be accepted. That standard has neither been discarded nor lowered since the first demand, no matter how hard it appeared the request was, no matter how wide the Sambisa Forest is, no matter how much time had passed since the girls were taken. The sanctity of human lives. Now and alive.

The discipline of focus

It is a miracle, to be clear, that the BBOG movement is still standing today. That its unpaid members and leaders are still standing tall and strong, and that they continue to maintain global credibility. Because typically, no movement in Nigeria, save for a military coup or an election, has lasted this long.

But the miracle is heightened by the fact of all that have been thrown at the campaigners. They have been attacked by those who detest the moral pulpit of Ezekwesili and cohorts because it speaks to their own lack of action, have been attacked by those who interpreted the movement as an political gang-up on Goodluck Jonathan, have been attacked by those who view every civil action in Nigeria as hypocrisy, by those who are waiting for Jesus himself, complete with celestial perfection, to lead any popular movement; those who are irritated that the movement did not pack up when Jonathan was sent packing, and now those who feel it must treat Muhammadu Buhari differently from his predecessor.

But one of the more resonant criticisms has always been this question: why the singular focus on the Chibok girls?

Many Nigerians have been kidnapped; why the disproportionate attention on the Chibok girls?

In response, BBOG has, from get go, ignored the noise. It came into being because the kidnap of the Chibok girls was one kidnap too far, and it has stuck with that purpose.

The understanding comes no doubt from the fact that no one person or group can change the world, and these ones had chosen their corner. To be effective, they must stick with that corner.

Of course, there has always been an immediate, and rational response to this criticism: That the girls from Chibok clearly stand as a signpost for all the named, nameless and faceless who have been abandoned by the Nigerian state; a indicator of the limits beyond which we cannot allow ourselves go as a people.

But, remarkably, BBOG desisted from making this point for itself. Because it is unnecessary.

What was (and is) necessary is its mission, from which it would not waste time on debates and arguments, and on dissipating energy.

The focus has been iconic.

The discipline of clarity

When trivial people ask the campaigners to go over to Chibok themselves and rescue the girls, the response has been a beauty of precision: we are an advocacy group, not a military organization.

That sense of clarity has always been the most effective thing about BBOG. They have an unnerving clarity about who they are, what they stand for, what they want, the viability of their demands, and the solutions they seek.

This is what BBOG is: an advocacy organization focused on ensuring the freedom, alive, of the missing Chibok girls, doing this by confirming the identities of each of their girls, tracing the timeline and chain of reactions from, making clear action, response, and marker of success.

There is no ambiguity in anybody’s minds about any of these.

The discipline of empiricity

Nigeria has never been a nation of precision. Our government doesn’t have proper records for its citizens; data is antiquated in many spaces or limited to for-profit desks.

Our media has in turn reflected this distinguished chaos. How many times have three news stories about the same tragedy, sometimes from the same paper, had three different number tallies for its victims?

Into that chaos came the matter of Nigeria’s missing girls. The first service BBOG did us was insist on precision in numbers, and then aid the eventual calculation: 276 girls were missing.

That desire for empirical evidences has defined the campaign.

The movement has delicately tracked the changing numbers as girls have been found, holding government accountable when it has claimed that girls from other parts of Nigeria were from Chibok, coordinating with the community on direct verification with the community. And it is from BBOG that we have a running tally of how many girls remain to be rescued: 196 as at today.

In making demands of the military, they have demonstrated facility with strategy, terminology and pattern. And they have drawn from that the authority to be listened to because they come armed with the knowledge that effective engagement requires.

When people have claimed the girls were kidnapped by A, married off to B, and flown away to C, BBOG has refused to be distracted.

Where there is no evidence to the contrary, they have stuck with the last know locations of the missing girls. Former president Olusegun Obasanjo declared that the girls would never be found, and they ignored him. As if he didn’t matter.

Because he didn’t (and doesn’t) matter. All that matters are the facts.

This has earned respect, avoided distraction, and enabled efficacy.

The discipline to be unreasonable

The one plea that those comfortable with the status quo often demand from activist movements is to be reasonable, by which they often mean to move at a pace dictated not by the urgency of action but by the comfort of the negotiator. The one error these movements can make is to fall for the blackmail.

BBOG knows where the banana peels lie.

Like Jonathan, the Buhari government has treated the protesters as high-impact irritants.

Jonathan did this from a place of incompetence, Buhari does it from a place of entitlement: this government believes that, unlike its predecessor, it has (initially) treated the campaigners with deference. And for that ‘goodness’, it expects breathing space. It also believes that, since it didn’t lose the girls, it bears no direct responsibility. It is only a friendly partner trying to clean up another’s mess.

It cannot understand why the protesters will not afford it an extended runway of goodwill. And its supporters, many of whom actually agreed erroneously with the Jonathan government that BBOG was a tool of the APC, also cannot come to terms with it.

In response? BBOG has turned up the heat.

The reason is simple to those who pay attention: the target of its campaign has always been the responsible party who can find and return the girls. And that party is the Nigerian government.

Once Buhari came into power (and especially since rescuing the girls was a focal point of his campaign messaging), he automatically took responsibility for the assets and liabilities of the government he is now in charge of. And in that case, as government is a continuum, it is now the machine that lost the girls two years ago.

That might be literally unreasonable, but in terms of the philosophy of democratic governments, it is entirely judicious.

The Buhari government, like all governments, serves at the pleasure of its citizens. The citizens owe it no special concessions. It just needs to do its job.

In refusing to give this government and the one before it (and hopefully none after it, since we pray the girls are soon found) any breathing space, BBOG shows a remarkable discipline.

Nigeria’s peculiar breed of irresponsible governance demands no less. We have learnt with the #OccupyNigeria and other popular citizen action that once you relax the pressure, governments revert to type: passivity and mediocrity.

No Nigerian government deserves patience. Especially not this one that campaigned on a promise of urgency.

BBOG has made that irreducible minimum – results or nothing – abundantly clear.

The discipline of organisation

It looks like a rag tag team of young and old gathered together under a tree every week in Abuja to demand better. But do not be deceived.

Without the benefit of an office, of funding, in fact of anything but a determined group, BBOG is one of the most highly developed change organisations Nigeria has seen in its history.

The biggest miracle is in maximizing a small base to achieve maximum global impact.

Ezekwesili has constantly spoken at recorded public events of the need for advocacy institutions to move from ‘noise’ to ‘voice’; being able to organize frustration and agitation in a way that earns respect and achieves targeted outcomes. With BBOG she has walked that talk, role-modeling behaviours through her co-leadership that others can only learn from.

At the start of the protests, she whipped dramatists like now-Senator Dino Melaye into line when he tried to corner the movement, they disavowed and excluded those who either attempted violence or even considered violence as a viable tool and when the writer, Elnathan John complained publicly about the regimented structure of the movement (a strict set of demands, orderliness in front of the villa, programming of speakers and representatives), the response was simply that movements cannot be allowed to derail via the wanton, reactive passions of its front liners.

In response to government letters, it has issued its own with detail and restraint. In response to government pronouncements, it has issued its own releases. In reaction to propaganda, it has armed sympathisers with its version of events. And it has managed to coordinate several stakeholders – media, community, partners, international institutions and Malala – with deft strategy.

In this century, an organization doesn’t need an office, or titles.

If that has been the defining philosophy of scholars of modern organizations, then BBOG is the ultimate demonstration of the capacity of a people bound together by a common vision, a definite mission, and a determined capacity.

Jideonwo is co-founder and managing partner of RED (www.redafrica.xyz), which brands including Y!/YNaija.com and governance communication firm, StateCraft Inc. Office of the Citizen (OOTC) is his syndicated essay series. Part 2 of this piece will be published on Wednesday.

Dispatch from Chibok: A Community’s Resilience In the Shadow of Boko Haram – By Alkasim Abdulkadir

Posted on February 1, 2017 by Staff Reporter

The Chibok we saw needs more from international and local NGOs, and above all everyday citizens. It needs bore holes, psycho-social support, agricultural inputs, primary health care centres, amongst several other things. We left behind a community of resilient people… There are also courageous vigilantes standing around intersections and clusters of towns people, all waiting for this veil of darkness to pass over and become distant memories.

The Trip of Uncertainty

A combat readied soldier delicately held the anti-aircraft gun at the back of the open van, three other armed soldiers precariously stood beside him scanning the morning traffic as we drove out of Maiduguri. Soon enough we were cruising out of the city, escorted by another van mounted by stern looking soldiers at the rear. These were the complements the theatre Commander, General Lucky Irabor had described as an unbroken special escort when the leader of our delegation, the Vice Chairman of the Presidential Committee on the North East Initiatives (PCNI), Alh. Tijjani Tumsah, led us on a courtesy visit to the Theatre Command a day earlier. Their task that day was to take us to Chibok and back safely. The town had grabbed global consciousness in the wake of the abduction of girls at Girls Government Secondary School on April 14, 2014. The pristine and consistent work of the BringBackOurGirls movement has also ensured the incident remains in our collective hearts.

Most of us in the convoy were passing through the Damboa road since it was opened for the first time recently. Soon enough the now familiar sights of wanton destruction, mortar pockmarks on walls came into view shocking those who were seeing it for the first time. The emptied shells on the right and left shoulders of the road and fallen mobile phone masts all told tales of death and devastation. We passed empty settlements, homes that had become the abode of insurgents until early 2015. Every few kilometres, one is accosted with the ruins of hamlets that are now fading memories in the minds of the townsmen.

We passed soldiers at desolate intersections, lonely sentries waiting for slight movements in the shrubs to shoot. Shortly after passing Masba village, a loud ricochet followed by a volley of AA bullets interrupted our chatter; it stunned us into our thoughts as our eyes scanned to see if there were any movements around the shrubs. Fortunately, they were simply warning shots by our escorts; however, our hearts had skipped several beats at the possibility of mortality.

A Rebound for Damboa

Hundreds of thousands of IDP families from Damboa hitherto were part of the IDP population in camps in Borno State, but four months ago they went back home after a safety assessment by the army. Today, there are clear signs of a bounce back, amidst great reconstruction going on there. Along the roadsides, the greatest signs of recovery were the fresh oranges, guava, carrots and vegetables on sale. There were also lush green farmlands of spring onions spreading as far as the eyes could see and truckloads of commodities passing through – a testimony of livelihoods slowly coming back after years of displacement.

The Victims Support Fund is also implementing its Livelihood Programme, which is providing support for small businesses and skills empowerment and the forster care project in Chibok, where it places orphans under the care of forster parents and pays them a monthly stipend.

Arriving Chibok

At Damboa, we took a detour to Chibok, passing through an undulating and never been tarred road. We were told it is even more torturous and impassable during the raining season. The journey from Maiduguri should have slightly been more than an hour; however it took us four hours to get there. At last we arrived Chibok and drove state to GGSS Chibok, where we were received by Mr. Yaga Yagarwa, the Local Government Chairman and other cheerful elders of the community. We went round the ongoing ambitious construction within the school, which will include a race track, ICT halls and staff residencies when completed; the project is intended to be a model institution in defiance to the Boko Haram ideology and a tribute to egalitarian values.

A Call for Greater Support for Chibok

The governor of Borno State, Kashim Shettima continues to personally be involved in the development of the Chibok community. Last year he spent Boxing Day with them and pledged to continue working in the interest of the released Chibok girls. Most importantly, 1.8 billion naira has been earmarked for the Damboa-Chibok-Mbalala fifty-five kilometre road in this year’s budget. The Church of the Brethren in Nigeria, alongside the Midland Church of the Brethren in the United States, continues to also support the people of Chibok, not only spiritually but also in the donations of cash and other non-food items. The Victims Support Fund is also implementing its Livelihood Programme, which is providing support for small businesses and skills empowerment and the forster care project in Chibok, where it places orphans under the care of forster parents and pays them a monthly stipend. The PCNI sub-committee on Education under Professor Hauwa Biu is also committed to revamping the educational infrastructure in Chibok LGA and scaling up the livelihood support in the area.

But the Chibok we saw needs more from international and local NGOs, and above all everyday citizens. It needs bore holes, psycho-social support, agricultural inputs, primary health care centres, amongst several other things. We left behind a community of resilient people, from young girls riding bicycles home after a day of studies, to women with stacks of fire wood tied to their bicycles – indeed the women of Chibok are inseparable from their bicycles. There are also courageous vigilantes standing around intersections and clusters of towns people, all waiting for this veil of darkness to pass over and become distant memories.

Postscript: Less than 48 hours after passing the Damboa route, Boko Haram elements attacked a traveling convoy killing 10 people.

Alkasim Abdulkadir is the Head of Media and Communications at the Presidential Committee on the North East Initiatives, PCNI.

Sambisa, The Forest of Learning – By Buki Ponle

Posted on January 24, 2017 by Staff Reporter

By now, it is crystal clear to the Bring Back Our Girls (BBOG), or any other groups and individuals with similar perception, that government is not toying with the safety, lives and property of Nigerians. This is clearly evident in the latest search conducted for the missing Chibok school girls in the notorious forest called Sambisa.

Few days ago, the Federal Government, represented by the Minister of Information and Culture and that of Defence, arranged to join the Nigerian troops in the forest, in furtherance of efforts at finding the girls. They invited the advocacy group BBOG to come along.

On the eve of the trip, the Co-convener of the BringBackOurgirls (BBOG), Dr Obiageli Ezekwesili, in an e-mail to the Minister of Information and Culture, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, indicated the interest of her members to join the search. The group, for reasons only known to it, however gave impractical conditions to join in the search of
the girls, according to reports.

However, government acceded to their demands, including the last-minute insistence by Ezekwesili that the Information Minister abandon the aircraft for government delegation and fly instead with BBOG members in another aircraft.

”Only Oby Ezekwesili could rightly decipher what she had in mind to have insisted that the minister should take such a last minute decision,” notes an Abuja-based lawyer, Mr Ebenezer Okoli.

”Prior to this trip, the group had staged a week-long rally in commemoration of the 1000th anniversary of the kidnap of Chibok girls, accusing government, among others, of reneging on the rescue of the remaining 195 girls, after it had secured the release of 21 of them.

”One need not be reminded of the human degradation, especially womanhood, in the senseless war being waged against Nigeria by the Boko Haram terrorists, even in spite of heightened efforts by the Buhari administration to decimate them” he says.

The Sambisa forest, 60,000 sq. km., or 18 times the size of Lagos State, situated in the north eastern part of Nigeria, was once the pride of Borno indigenes because of its serenity, rich floral and fauna, but has turned evil with the habitation and vandalism of Boko Haram insurgents in the past eight years.

They have, however, substantially been smoked out by our gallant soldiers many of who have paid the supreme price for the love of the country, and at painful loss to their families and the nation.

Although the activity of the insurgents has been degraded, one’s blood turns chilly each time the Theatre Commander of Operation Lafia Dole, Major General Lucky Irabor, reels out the number of casualty of officers and men who have laid down their lives in the struggle to liberate the country from insurgency.

These were also men born of women, with families and other dependants, but who are seldom talked about outside the military.

BBOG assumed global fame when it rose as a resonate voice of concern over the violence perpetrated against women and children, but more especially against the abducted girls. It became an advocacy movement right from April 2014 when the school girls were kidnapped.

A journalist, Simon Lambert, observes: ”with its recent activities, the utterances and demeanor of BBOG members, one is at pains to situate the group properly, with its apparent ‘for profit’ non-governmental organisation attitude.

”Even if some of its members are full time workers for the group, they should understand the workings of government and should defer to government position which has demonstrated enough transparency in efforts at rescuing the remaining Chibok girls. Government is not faceless, and those in charge of governance have blood running in their veins, have the female as wives, children and relations.”

A political scientist, Dr. Omobolaji Akerele, comments: ”Government does not divulge everything simultaneously, and a government which has shown sincerity of purpose, such as this, should at least be given the
benefit of the doubt.”

She continues: ”BBOG should not be perceived as caring for Chibok girls alone to sustain its international recognition. It should show concern for all the victims, including the IDPs, the fallen heroes and their families, as well as those who have been vegetated by BokoHaram’s bestial attacks.
”The use of cheap blackmail, appearing in holier-than-thou attitude, resort to unnecessary rallies and grandstanding are not the hallmark of a responsible advocacy movement, as interpretations are being given to the genuineness of such actions,” Akerele adds.

Some of the members have even been assuming presidential posturing and would not want to appear in related public meetings unless President Buhari is physically present.

Nonetheless, the trip has altered the perception of BBOG group which had apparently lost confidence in government efforts at battling corruption and rescuing the remaining trapped Chibok girls in that
dreaded forest.

Not until a gruesome day and night rounds of search sorties in Sambisa did Ezekwesili become convinced that government is doing its best, as witnessed in the professionalism and sophistication of the Nigerian Air Force, in executing the war against terror.

For instance, the Air Force now possesses many search planes as against just one, and the the deployment of many fighter jets as against just two before this administration. It is noteworthy that the Air Force has also flown 6,000 hours and spent N2 billion on fuel in searching for the girls.

Following the tour, BBOG testifies in its report, that ”the air component of the counter-insurgency is being prosecuted by a highly professional, capable, motivated and committed team of the Nigerian Air Force.”

Ezekwesili also saw the need for government to descend more heavily on looters of the national wealth, and those who have dis-empowered the military, for the terrorists to have initially gained an upper hand.

All told, more stakeholders must be prepared for Sambisa lessons, now a forest for learning, discipline, soberness and patriotism. In particular, those lawyers who placed money above national interest and would hold brief for the worst rogue as long as blood-money talks, should be the next in line for the Sambisa trip.

Ditto for the judge who compromises, because each perverted judgement of national interest could also mar the operation of the war against terror. With such visits, justice will be served expeditiously and without fear or favour.

*Ponle is a public affairs analyst

PRESS STATEMENT: DAY 1000 of consistent, daily #BringBackOurGirls advocacy.

Posted on January 24, 2017 by Staff Reporter

One thousand days ago — April 30, 2014 — our movement started with a march by over two thousand citizens from all walks of life in the city of Abuja demanding rescue of hundreds of girls alleged to have been abducted by Boko Haram terrorists from their dormitory at the Government Secondary School, Chibok Borno State.

The world was later to learn from the findings of the Presidential Task Force set up by the preceding federal government that 276 schoolgirls writing their final certificate examination had been forcefully taken on the night of April 14, 2014.

The findings stated that 57 of the girls had escaped variously as their captors hauled them on the long journey into the Sambisa forest leaving 219 missing by the time the news of the abduction reached the public.

Social media starting reacting from April 15 when the news of the abduction broke even while the traditional media in Nigeria was not reporting the tragedy. One week later on April 23, 2014 the hashtag #BringBackOurGirls emerged and became popular on social media as the widely used message of demand for the rescue of the abducted school girls.

Fifteen days later and with still no acknowledgement nor action by the federal government on the abduction, diverse citizens were convened using reach outs of all types to participate in a solidarity march for the abducted girls. That march of April 30, 2014 adopted the social media hashtag #BringBackOurGirls as the message of the protesters. The citizens that gathered walked from the Unity Fountain under heavy rains to the Nigerian National Assembly to demand for government rescue of the school girls.

That march awakened much more people to the tragedy and in a rare demonstration of global empathy, many people organized marches in several cities in Nigeria and around the world calling for rescue of the abducted girls. That first march went on to become a daily “sit-out” campaign in Abuja and a weekly “shout out” in Lagos and various advocacy activities in cities like Oshogbo, New York, Washington DC.

At the beginning, members of our movement made a promise to our #ChibokGirls couched in a question that is part of the movement’s chants: “When shall we stop?” The answer is simple: “Not until our Girls are back and alive! “Not without our daughters! The two pillars around which our advocacy was framed for 1000 days are our shared humanity with our #ChibokGirls and the social contract between citizens and their government.

As a citizens movement, our priority has been to awaken our government to its responsibility of protecting lives and properties of its citizens like our #ChibokGirls. Our activities invariably also awakened global awareness of and some action against the cruel action of the Boko Haram terror group. Staying above the fray of politics and change of governments, our movement has remained resolute in the singularity of purpose of demanding and compelling necessary government action to rescue the Chibok girls.

That our movement — a citizens’ advocacy in Nigeria — has lasted 1000 days is traceable to the core values on which it is founded. Interestingly these core values make up HUMANITEEDS: Hope, Unity, Motivation, Affability, Nationalism, Integrity, Transparency, Empathy, Equity, Discipline, and Sacrifice. These are the values that have shaped the thought processes, decisions, and actions of the movement.

Lending our contribution to solutions has also been part of our modus operandi. In 1000 days, we have not only advocated on the matter of our girls but also delivered solutions to our government and people. Below are some of the Solutions we worked on:

– Citizens’ Solution to End Terrorism

– Verification, Authentication, and Reunification System (VARS) document

– ABCs of Our Demand

– Missing Persons’ Register (MPR)

– Chronicle of false narratives by the Nigerian government on the rescue of the Chibok schoolgirls

– Options Note on Rebuilding the Northeast

These are available on our website www.bringbackourgirls.ng

Key milestones achieved by BBOG include:

Ignited the ultimate acknowledgement of the tragedy three weeks after by the then federal government following one week of our movement’s sustained advocacy.
Catalytic to multi-nation meeting convened in Paris, France in May 2014 to find the abducted girls and build a sub-regional counter terrorism response.
The offer of leading member-nations of the UN Security Council to help rescue our ChibokGirls,
Crystalized the advocacy for #ChibokGirls by key global figures and the global community.
Saw a strong commitment made by then incoming president – Muhammadu Buhari- that the return of our girls and other abducted citizens as the indicator of defeat of the terrorists;
Compelled our federal government to prioritize the effective and efficient use of resources provided for prosecuting the war and providing security more broadly. In the process, our troops in the battlefront confirm improvement in the tools necessary for war.
Shone the light on the scale of humanitarian tragedy that has befallen millions of our internally displaced citizens as far back as 2014 when the North East destabilization was escalating.

However none of those milestones compared to the sense of progress that the movement celebrated when the first Chibok girl — Amina Ali Nkeki was found by the Civilian Joint Task Force and the military on Tuesday May 17, 2016.

Subsequently two other Chibok girls — Maryam Ali and Rakiya Abubakar were also found at different times due to the activities of the military. The largest set of girls – twenty one- were released by the terrorists on October 13, 2016 following a successful negotiation with the Federal Government, the Swiss Government and the International Committee of the Red Cross. That 24 of our ChibokGirls have been given the justice of freedom from terrorists is considered a testament that our citizens’ advocacy for them was valid despite the stiff attacks and opposition our movement attracts for our steadfast stance.

Furthermore, by making our #ChibokGirls the symbol of all other victims of Boko Haram –many of whom lost their identity in the course of the tragedy in the North East– it compelled the Nigerian military to achieve the rescue of thousands of these other Nigerians.

We also highlighted and advocated on issues related to military welfare, demanded for presidential pardon of soldiers who were wrongly sentenced to death upon being court-martialed for refusing to fight without arms. Some of such unjust sentences were later commuted to life imprisonment.

Adopting our #NigerianHonourOurHeroes initiative, we continue to champion the cause of our soldiers and their families for the risk they take at the war front and for the gallantry they show whenever any of them die at the battlefront to safeguard people and nation.

In the last 1000 days of our advocacy, we have become a model for the effective expression of the #OfficeOfTheCitizen which promotes demand for democratic accountability from their government.

Our movement has seen the emergence of other citizens’ advocacy groups on related issues of good governance, philanthropic and humanitarian efforts, citizens interventions and such like. The idea of the informed, engaged and active citizen is no longer a dream but already being acted upon by ordinary citizens across the country.

Our singular issue was the rescue of our Chibok girls, but it did not take our movement time to see how the lack of good governance and demand for accountability failed them on that night they were abducted. It is reason our movement insists on Good Governance.

On this tragic DAY 1000 of our advocacy, we again celebrate the efforts of our men and women in uniform who continue to place their lives on the line at the frontlines of the fight against the insurgency and in the search for our Chibok girls as well as other persons who have been abducted by Boko Haram.

Today as we ponder the colossal tragedy of the non-return of 195 of our girls on day 1000 of daily #BringBackOurGirls advocacy, we renew our commitment to never stop demanding until all the remaining 195 of our missing girls are rescued. It is why we today ask the federal government to accelerate the effort it assures is being made to successfully negotiate the release of another set of 83 of our ChibokGirls.

As a movement, we do not wish to see DAY1100 without all our ChibokGirls back. #BringBackOurGirls!

Signed:

For and on behalf of #BringBackOurGirls

AISHA YESUFU
OBY EZEKWESILI

BBOG should stick to advocacy rather than pretending to be an opposition party – FG

Posted on January 24, 2017 by Staff Reporter

The Federal Government has urged the Bring Back Our Girls (BBOG) group to see government as a partner rather than adversary in the quest to secure the release of the Chibok girls.

In a statement in Abuja on Monday, the Minister of Information and Culture, Lai Mohammed, said the BBOG’s continued portrayal of the government as an adversary and the needless firing of darts at President Muhammadu Buhari, were ultimately counter-productive.

Mr. Mohammed said the president was doing his utmost best to bring the girls back home safely.

“The Federal Government has bent over backwards to carry the BBOG along and to show transparency in the conduct of the search for the girls,” he said.

“The recent invitation extended to the group to witness first-hand the search for the girls by the Nigerian Air Force is a clear indication of this.

“However, it came to us as a surprise that in spite of its initial positive report on the tour, the BBOG has too quickly reverted to its adversarial role.

“BBOG should stick to its role as an advocacy group rather than pretending to be an opposition party.

“The synonyms of the word ‘advocacy’ do not include ‘antagonism’, ‘opposition’ or ‘attack’, in fact those words are the antonyms of ‘advocacy,’’’ he said.

The minister said it amounted to needless grandstanding for the BBOG to say it would no longer tolerate “delays’’ and “excuses” from the president on the release of the girls, as reported by the media.

According to him, such “impudent’’ language should have been reserved for those who did nothing in the first 500 days of the girls’ abduction, and not for Mr. Buhari.

Mr. Mohammed said President Buhari as has presided over the liberation of all captured territory, the opening of shut schools and roads, the safe release of some of the abducted girls and the decimation of Boko Haram.

He assured Nigerians that the efforts to bring the girls back safely were continuing, but sought their understanding for not divulging any further details so as not to jeopardise the intricate process.

“Let me say unequivocally that the people involved in the negotiations are working 24/7.

“The negotiations are complicated, tortuous and delicate. Any wrong signal is capable of derailing things. That’s why the less we say, the better for all.

“We need a huge amount of confidence-building, the kind of which led to the release of 21 of the girls. This has been lacking for years, but right now we are confident that we are on the right track.

“We won’t do anything to jeopardise these talks, irrespective of the pressure or provocation from any quarter,” the minister said.

Source: NAN

BBOG releases findings on Sambisa Forest tour

Posted on January 23, 2017 by Staff Reporter

The Bring Back Our Girls (BBOG) delegation that went on tour of the Sambisa Forest in Borno State has made public its observations.

Led by its convener, Dr. Oby Ezekwesili in company of Aisha Yesufu, Ibrahim Usman, a representative of Chibok community, Dr. Manasseh Allen as well as local and foreign media organisations, the group embarked on the January 16 and 17, 2017 guided exercise led by the Minister of Defence, Brig.-Gen. Mansur Dan-Ali (rtd) and his Information and Culture counterpart, Alhaji Lai Mohammed.

In their report, the delegation confirmed interacting with the leadership of the Nigerian Air Force (NAF), just as they expressed satisfaction at the personnel and equipment on ground.

“Furthermore, the presentation by the Chief of Air Staff, Air Marshal Sadique Abubakar, on the training and human capital development strategy of the force enabled us to appreciate its plans for the future. We saw that data, knowledge and information analysis play a significant role in the strategy of NAF prosecuting the air component of the war.

“Our exposure to the Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance (ISR) platform and the technical room of NAF indicated the level of adoption of technology in the prosecution of the war,” the report read in part.

The BBOG team also appreciated the synergy between NAF and the Nigerian Army, which prosecutes the ground component of the offensive.

The report added: “We were provided data and imagery evidence to show that the search for our Chibok girls and other abducted citizens is a daily activity by NAF. The data sheet showing the summary of all search operations was displayed with the following key data points over the last 18 months: Total missions to Sambisa General Area – 2,105, number of sorties— 3,534, time/hour of flight – 6,323, fuel cost: Over N2.4 billion.”

According to the group, the three-hour search flight on the ISR medium at 15,000 feet, provided members the opportunity to have a clear view of the Theatre of War in the once dreaded forest.

Source: Guardian

Nigerian government confirms negotiation with Boko Haram to free Chibok girls

Posted on January 17, 2017 by Staff Reporter

The Minister of Information and Culture, Lai Mohammed, on Tuesday reassured that the negotiations for the release of other Chibok girls in captivity were ongoing.

The minister disclosed this at the Air Force Base in Yola in a briefing to conclude a day and night rounds of search sortie of the missing girls to Sambisa.

The News Agency of Nigeria reports that Mr. Mohammed; the Minister of Defence, Mansur Dan-Alli; the convener of the Bring Back Our Girls (BBOG) group, Obiageli Ezekwesili; as well as selected local and foreign journalists participated in the search mission.

Mr. Mohammed said that the success recorded by the military in the theatre of war was helping the negotiation because of the carrot and stick approach of government to ending insurgency.

He recalled that a meeting was recently held which was a near success and added that the government would not rest on its oars in ensuring a safe return of all the missing girls and others in captivity.

“The negotiations are still on, but unfortunately unlike the search operations, we cannot take you along to the negotiation table.

“I want to assure you that these negotiations are going on but they are very complicated and delicate and shift from time to time,” he said.

The minister commended the military for the victories recorded in various operations at decimating the insurgents particularly in Sambisa.

He noted that the capture of Camp Zairo in Sambisa, which is the headquarters and stronghold of the insurgents was very crucial to defeating the terrorists.

The minister stressed that the proportion of the camp to the size of the forest notwithstanding, ”the capture is a big victory for the military

“Camp Zairo might occupy probably one kilometre out of 60,000 kilometres expanse of Sambisa, but it is so crucial to us in this war.

“It is like imagining that there is a war and the Villa is captured. That is the essence of camp zairo.

“It is not the extent of physical expanse but that we struck at the very heart of insurgency and it does not mean the end of the campaign in Sambisa forest,’’ he said.

Mr. Mohammed commended the Air Force for their professionalism and for deployment of modern technology in their operations.

The minister also commended the Chief of Air Staff, Sadique Abubakar for initiating the search mission.

He added that it served its objective of participating and better understanding of the efforts of the military in fighting insurgency.

Speaking on casualty figure of his men, Mr. Abubakar said they were very lucky in terms of suffering casualties on their air operations.

“First and foremost, the enemy does not have air assets and we take training very seriously.

“We do everything possible to ensure capacity development of our pilots and we make judicious use of the personnel that are on ground,” he said.

He thanked the minister, the BBOG delegation, the journalists and others that participated in the exercise.

REPORT: Sambisa is massive. It’s 18 times the size of Lagos – Oby Ezekwesili

Posted on January 17, 2017 by Staff Reporter

Oby Ezekwesili, co-convener of the Bring Back Our Girls group, says Sambisa Forest, the hideout of the Boko Haram, is 18 times the size of Lagos state, Nigeria’s commercial capital.

Ezekwesili, who went on a tour of Sambisa with the Nigerian Airforce (NAF), said the forest is a vast expanse of land, and more has to be done to capturing the whole forest.

“Dreaded Sambisa is massive. Sixty thousand square kilometers. Eighteen times the size of Lagos State! All of Lagos is 3,345 square km,” she wrote on Twitter.

“Apparently, the Sambisa ‘general area’ as it’s called is some 85% of entire size of Borno State.”

She said the military had succeeded in capturing the capital spot of Boko Haram, but the search must continue.

“The famous Camp Zero in Sambisa? Well, it turns out that capturing Camp Zero is NOT equal to capturing Sambisa. It is just a spot in there.

“Capture of Camp Zero in Sambisa is akin to capturing the Capital City of a country. Camp Zero was the Capital SPOT of Boko Haram in Sambisa

“Capture of Camp Zero is significant but not cos of its SIZE. It is SIGNIFICANT because it USED TO BE the STRONGHOLD of the enemy in there.

“So, could our Chibok girls and other abducted citizens still [be] within the vast field of Sambisa other than Camp Zero? Yes. So, NAF searches on.”

Regarding the entire trip, she said “We came. We learned. Now we return. To stand! To demand!! #BringBackOurGirlsNowAndAlive! Thanks everyone at Nigerian Air Force for all we learned”.

“Someday soon, we will all rejoice together”, Buhari tells parents of missing Chibok girls.

Posted on January 9, 2017 by Staff Reporter

President Muhammadu Buhari has again expressed the commitment of the Federal Government to securing the release of the remaining Chibok school girls kidnapped by Boko Haram insurgents.

The re-commitment came as the world, yesterday commemorated the 1,000th day of the abduction of schoolgirls from Government Secondary School, Chibok, Borno State,

“We are grateful to God that on this landmark day, we are not completely in the depths of despair, but buoyed with hope that our daughters will yet rejoin their families and loved ones.

In a statement signed by his Special Adviser on media and publicity, Femi Adesina, President Buhari yesterday reiterated his pledge that government would not spare any effort to reunite the girls with their families.

“I salute the fortitude of the distraught parents. As a parent also, I identify with their plight. Days turned to weeks, weeks turned to months, months turned to years, and today, it is 1,000 days.

“The tears never dry, the ache is in our hearts. But hope remains constant, eternal, and we believe our pains will be assuaged. Our hopes will not be shattered, and our hearts will leap for joy, as more and more of our daughters return. It is a goal we remain steadfastly committed to,” the President said.

President Buhari commended all who have been in the vanguard for the recovery of the girls, both nationally and internationally, stressing:

“Someday soon, we will all rejoice together. Our intelligence and security forces are unrelenting, and whatever it takes, we remain resolute. Chibok community, Nigeria, and indeed, the world, will yet rise in brotherhood, to welcome our remaining girls back home. We trust God for that eventuality’’, he added.

Meanwhile, Suspected armed fleeing Boko Haram insurgents on Saturday in Yobe State, attacked a military formation and killed five soldiers at Buni/Yadi military post.

Soldiers in Damaturu confirmed the development, saying they lost the officers after Boko Haram militants attacked the 27 Task Force Brigade located in Buni Yadi, one of the Boko Haram strongholds in that part of the state.

Spokesman of the 27 Task Force Brigade, Lt. George Okupe in a text message said “Buni Yadi came under attack at about 6:15 pm, but troops have successfully repelled the attack. We cannot confirm casualty figure now but things are under control.

Details will be made available to you as soon as we are done with all necessary clearance.”

But a military source in Damaturu told The Guardian that there was a surprise attack by Boko Haram insurgents who on Saturday night launched a daring attack on 27 Task Force Brigade of the Nigerian Army Buni Yadi. The source said that five soldiers were killed, including a captain.

“The insurgents came from the eastern side of the brigade in large numbers and launched superior fire power on the military formation before they were repelled.”

The casualty on the side of Boko Haram fighters is yet to be disclosed, but another military source in Damaturu said that the insurgents also suffered heavy casualty in the attack as many dead bodies littered in the bush. “Troops are still in pursuit of some of the fleeing insurgents,” he assured

Chibok Girls: Painful memories of a thousand days – By Oby Ezekwesili

Posted on January 9, 2017 by Staff Reporter

On that 30th April 2014 when diverse citizens gathered to march in solidarity, no one could have imagined that any out of our 219 Chibok Girls abducted from their secondary school in April 2014 would remain in captivity of terrorists 1000 days after the tragedy. One recalls pictures of distressed parents supported by local hunters foraging through the path they were told that the terrorists had hauled away their daughters. Meanwhile, their government was missing in action cynically indifferent to the cries for help.

One of the parents said he was desperate to find his daughter by walking off into Sambisa Forest before the Nigeria Army prevented them, because the future of the entire family depended on that daughter finishing school and taking care of her siblings. How can we not be moved by such decisiveness on girls education in a region that topped both then and now, the chart of poor school enrollment and worse parity ratio of four boys for every one girl in school compared to the rest of the country?

Nations that have bothered to know the value of having all their girls in school have since discovered the multiple and diverse benefits. More than ever before in history, the economic health of a country depends upon the skills, knowledge, and capacities of its people. Research validates that countries which have made dynamic progress in the last century, are also the ones that help each of their citizens – male and female- to acquire the human assets of values, skills, knowledge and capacities that education bestows.

In addition to the obvious productivity and income earning benefit to the girl-child and their families, some of the data that validate a diverse range of benefits have global relevance. According to UNESCO, the “Children of mothers with secondary education or higher are twice as likely to survive beyond age 5 compared to those whose mothers have no education. Improvements in women’s education explained half of the reduction in child deaths between 1990 and 2009. A child born to a mother who can read is 50% more likely to survive past age 5?.

We are products of the values that shaped us. A Value that some of us imbibed while growing up is that nothing makes a female child inferior and so nothing should keep them from being educated. Those of our parents that held strong to such value bequeathed them to us by sending us to school despite our being female. Like the parents of the 219 ChibokGirls, our parents overcame all barriers that are known to limit educational opportunities available to girls around the world or even more specifically, our various regions in Nigeria.

For the forward thinking parents of the abducted girls, they desired that their daughters would not be part of the statistics of out-of-school adolescent girls. A recent report on Girls Education in Nigeria by the United Kingdom’s British Council found that in the North East, 54% of adolescent girls are out of school. In the North West, it is 53%, in the North Central, it is 21%, in the South South it is 9%, in the South West 6% and in the south-east, it is 4%. The ChibokGirls parents understood that at an individual and family level, the benefits of offering education to their daughters outweighed the associated social, cultural, religious, physical risks and economic constraints.

What they did not imagine as part of that calculus was that the physical risk to life for those who dared to show up in their Chibok school has risen substantially to certainty. Boko Haram terrorists are driven by the hideous determination to make knowledge abominable thus challenging our civilization. None of our ChibokGirls parents could however have imagined that neither their own government nor those of the rest of the world would defend the dignity of endangered lives of their children if anything like abduction happened. None of those parents could have imagined that the lives of their daughters would not be protected by the Nigerian nation-state which has a constitutional duty of providing for the security and welfare of citizens- especially its young ones. None of those parents could have thought that having their daughters show up from their various schools in that local government to take their certificate examination with peers in that Government Secondary School Chibok, would become a fatal choice between being educated or staying alive.

Doubly tragic is that as we mark #DAY1000 since the worst nightmare of those Chibok Parents materialized, two successive governments have completely failed to be as bold as the parents of our missing ChibokGirls. From the initial self-preserving coldness, indifference, mockery and tentativeness of the immediate past administration to the “cannot-be-taken-for-their-word” hubris, lethargy and inertia of the current one, any discerning observer can see a common thread. It is the same we-don’t-give-a-damn attitude that is making their successors who assumed office on the back of a strong promise to commit their utmost to rescuing the girls within six months in office; to repeat history.

What is the cause of this empathy-deficit toward citizens by those that govern, regardless of their political symbol and hue? The disconcerting answer is that among our political class, citizens – whether dead or alive – have no bearing on the incentives that drive the quest for the right to govern them. Unlike those countries where leaders set their country Development vision on their citizens’ values, knowledge, skills and capacities, our own “rulers” place their stewardship quest not on the lives of citizens but on the certainty that oil will flow. Oil will flow and the public purse will flourish whether a citizen dies or is missing.

The logic is simple: As long as the proceeds from oil are guaranteed, the nation can afford to leave its children with terrorists for any length of time. For as long as oil flows and with that, the proceeds, the cutting short of any Nigerian life has no effect on the country. It therefore has not mattered as much to any of the two successive Governments of Nigeria that losing our ChibokGirls is a loss to our national stock of human capital. That our Governments prolonged the time it is taking to give justice to children who were abducted in the course of their search for knowledge is a statement on the things we value.

Should any think this assertion to be farfetched, all they need do, is, compare the swiftness with which our governments -regardless of which political crew run it- responds to any threat to the flow of oil in the Niger Delta. For our governments, the cynicism towards citizens- who with a certain measure of education are converted to human capital- is that they are of less value than a barrel of oil.

This is where the parents of our ChibokGirls have more than a lot to teach our political leaders. These parents may not have any “political clout” – part of the reason that many adduce for the way their daughters have been neglected by our government– but they know something that our political rulers are yet to grasp: No commodity but our human beings like Chibok Girls, other abducted citizens, hundreds of Nigerians needlessly killed in distressed conditions in the North East, Mainland and South Kaduna, Agatu, Aba, Enugu, Onitsha, Jos, Keffi, Abuja, Lagos and such other places, can guarantee us the swift passage to economic development.

The slight redeeming prospect of the President Muhammadu Buhari led government as far as the specific matter of ChibokGirls rescue goes, is that in the last three months, it has managed to bring back 24 of them mostly through negotiation with their terrorist abductors. For our freed school girls and their peers in all the internally dislocated peoples’ camps in the North East, it is the duty of the Government’s – Federal and State- to place a premium on their education and skills acquisition to ensure that Nigeria speeds up the accumulation of our human development scores. The education of the girl-child benefits not only the girls and their families but their communities, states and nations.

Following its inauguration in May 2015, the administration was trapped in more than 15 months of numbing indecisiveness on how to rescue our ChibokGirls, whether through military option or by negotiation with the terrorists. Twenty one of them were eventually released on 13th October 2016 to our Government by the terrorists and embraced by their exuberantly joyous parents. Just a few days ago, another one of the girls returned, having been accidentally found among terrorists and their victims that the Nigerian Army captured. She returned after 997 days in the stronghold of terrorists clutching an innocent baby, rather than the certificate her parents hoped for when they took a risk to send her to school.

The tragic irony is that one of the reasons parents send their girl-children to school is to help delay marriage and child bearing while they acquire life skills for a better life. Rukiya Abubarka Gali’s parents while rejoicing at the return of their daughter yesterday, must be regretfully wondering like not a few other parents, whether it was worth it after all, to have made the choice for knowledge for their daughter.

That DAY1000 is upon us with still more than 80% of our Chibok Girls still captives of terrorists, the only person that can assuage their deep regret is the President and the Federal Government of Nigeria. The way it can do this is to ensure that not one more day goes beyond the one thousand days of suffering of our young daughters. This Federal Government must realize that the more it makes promises and fails to immediately back them with decisiveness and results-focused actions, it risks completely eroding its fast depleting stock of credibility and goodwill.

The inability and perhaps unwillingness to learn from mistakes is reason this Federal Government has again relapsed into inertia, lethargy, contradictions and silence on the status of its public pledge last October that another 83 of our girls would be back “soonest”. Our ChibokGirls have always been a symbol of several other victims without identity that are captives of our common enemies or those whose lives were wasted needlessly across the country. Now is the time for our President to find the courage to accord the highest value to the Nigerian life regardless of their region, religion, ideology, political persuasion, social and economic status above any other thing in this country.

We must not allow more deaths over and above 18 of the brave mothers and fathers who sent their girls to school. The hope of those deceased parents and the ones alive was that their girls would go on to become part of our more enduring capital. They did so, trusting that their Government cares about the dignity of life. It is time for the remaining 195 daughters of these courageous parents to return. 1000 days are already too long. Mr President, we want more results! It is time to bring back home our girls now. And alive!!

Ezekwesili is co-convener of #BringBackOurGirls Movement

Ezekwesili: We thought Chibok girls would be freed within 30 days

Posted on January 9, 2017 by Staff Reporter

Oby Ezekwesili, leader of the Bring Back Our Girls (BBOG) movement, says it is a “monumental failure” that the federal government has not rescued the remaining 195 Chibok girls after 1,000 days in the hands of the Boko Haram insurgents.

The girls were abducted in April 2014 from Government Secondary School, Chibok, Borno state.

Addressing members of the BBOG movement, Ezekwesili described the inability of the federal government to rescue the rest of the girls as the “saddest occurrence in the history of our country”.

“We never imagined that it will last more than 30 days, then 60 days came, then two years,” she said.

“We have had two governments and yet we have girls who want to be educated still in the grip of terrorists and on Day 500 we had our on our global week of action and we did say that 500 days was too long for citizens to wait, for parents to wait for their daughters to be rescued.

“Today, it is 500 times two. You can imagine how much of a monumental failure it is that 195 of our Chibok girls are still in terrorist captivity.”

Reading a statement on behalf of the group, Aisha Yesufu, another leader, said the federal government contradicted itself by “the recent declaration and celebration of the capture of Sambisa forest as the end of the war”.

“This action is contrary to the pledge that Mr President and the military have made repeatedly that they would not declare victory without the rescue of our Chibok Girls and all other abducted victims of terrorist abduction,” she said.

“Sambisa’s ‘Camp Zero’ is the same stronghold in which the Federal Government stated that the girls were being held and the 21 released were from there. Should parents, communities, Nigerians and the world assume that the Federal Government has given up on the Chibok Girls and other abductees?

“As with the Jonathan administration, the Buhari administration’s response to issues about the Chibok girls is representative of its handling of other issues – insecurity, welfare of internally displaced persons, military welfare, corruption and poor governance.

“Painfully, #Day1000 of their tragic abduction is here and there has been no status report provided by the federal government.”

While on a march to the presidential villa on Sunday, the police made an attempt to stop BBOG movement’s procession but they eventually got to the entrance of the three arms zone.

We Are Working Hard To Rescue Other Chibok Girls, Shettima Says.

Posted on December 29, 2016 by Staff Reporter

Hopes of the parents of the yet to be rescued Chibok girls have been raised, as the Governor of Borno State, Kashim Shettima, reassures them that the government is doing everything possible to ensure the return of their daughters.

Over 200 girls were abducted by members of Boko Haram Islamic sect on April 14, 2014.

Since their abduction, less than 70 of them have been rescued, with the last set, 21 of them, spending the Christmas season in their hometown, Chibok.

The girls on Monday spent time with Governor Shettima in Chibok town, where they were taken from their school’s dormitory over two years ago.

Their freedom is an outcome of negotiations with the insurgents brokered by International mediators.

The 21 girls have been in custody of the Federal Government in Abuja and their visit to Chibok saw huge presence of armed soldiers and officials of the Department of State Security who remained their strict guards throughout their stay.

Nothing Is Too Much

The girls appeared excited meeting Governor Shettima again after they had met him in Abuja days after their freedom from Boko Haram’s captivity.

Governor Shettima told the girls that with their cheerful mood, the next concern had to be their future.

“As you know, 56 of your colleagues who escaped abduction are currently in two international schools where they have been since 2014.

“We are taking care of all their educational needs from school fees to other basics.

“Left to me, I would want the 21 of you to join them in those two schools so that you can all feel at home and move on.

“However, the Federal Government has a plan which we will jointly discuss and come up with a decision that is acceptable to you our daughters.

“President Muhammadu Buhari loves you so much and he is deeply concerned about our daughters that are yet to be freed. He is working on that and we are all working” Shettima said.

Consoling parents whose daughters are yet to be rescued, Governor Shettima said all hands are on deck to ensure the return of all the girls.

“Nothing is too much for these girls and their parents.

“They have suffered too much and deserve our support” the Governor said.

The happy girls presented a gift of a medium size photo frame with a bold ‘THANK YOU’ printed on it to the Governor. ?

The frame has pictures the Governor took with the girls when he visited them in Abuja months back. The frame also has individual pictures of each of the 21 girls.

Glory Dama, one of the 21 girls, presented the photo frame on behalf of her colleagues. She said they deeply appreciate the show of love by Governor Shettima and his wife, Nana Shettima.

21 Freed Chibok girls to spend first Christmas away from Boko Haram in 3 years

Posted on December 23, 2016 by Staff Reporter

The 21 Chibok school girls freed by Boko Haram in October, will be spending their very first Christmas away from the sect in three years.

The girls, who were kidnapped in April 2014, had their 2014 and 2015 Christmas in Boko Haram’s captivity, as the Nigerian government attempted getting them out of the sect’s den in Sambisa.

Confirming their release in October, Garba Shehu, special adviser to President Muhammadu Buhari on media and publicity said: “The release of the girls, in a limited number is the outcome of negotiations between the administration and the Boko Haram brokered by the International Red Cross and the Swiss government. The negotiations will continue.

“The President welcomes the release of the girls but cautioned Nigerians to be mindful of the fact that more than 30,000 fellow citizens were killed via terrorism,” he said.

On Thursday, rumours were making round on social media that another 21 girls have been released by Boko Haram, only to be debunked by Shehu, who said the girls were only going home to spend Christmas with their families.

“To my friends spreading the news of a further release of Chibok Girls, we are not there yet. The negotiations are ongoing and the Department of State Service, DSS is full of optimism that they will be successful,” Shehu said.

“Today, the DSS took the 21 Girls already secured to Yola, Adamawa State on their way home to celebrate the Christmas with their families.

“No new girls have been released but by God’s grace, they will be. Happy Christmas, everyone.”

In all, 79 girls have regained freedom over the past two and a half years, bringing the total number of girls who have to spend a third consecutive Christmas with Boko Haram to 197.

Stephanie Busari: The (Chibok) girls who refused to be forgotten.

Posted on December 23, 2016 by Staff Reporter

Even in captivity, they refused to be forgotten.

Their spirits refused to die and they cried out, willing the world to come to their aid, even as some Nigerians denied the kidnapping at a boarding school in Chibok, Borno State, ever happened.

Even as then-president Goodluck Jonathan was pictured dancing at a political rally just days after their kidnapping. Even as his wife held a bizarre press conference in the wake of their abductions wailing ‘Diaris God o’.

From thousands of miles away I heard the cry of these girls who simply wanted to get an education. How could I not? I am a daughter of the soil. I grew up in Nigeria and went to boarding school here, just like these girls. I imagined if this had happened to me, or any of my friends or family. I could no longer stay away.

They even inspired a global response with public figures such as Pakistani education activist Malala Yousafzai and US first lady Michelle Obama supporting the #BringBackOurGirls campaign on social media. This hashtag was used more than five million times on Twitter at the height of the campaign to free the Chibok girls.

They also sparked the creation of the BBOG group, who have staged sit-ins, marches, and protests for nearly every day that the girls have been missing.

I cannot remember a time when the world joined forces for the plight of African girls in this way.

Their spirits simply refused to die. Some of them, so determined to live, jumped off the trucks carrying them to captivity. One of them, now living in America, told me she broke her leg and slid along the floor on her tummy, terrified, unable to move, convinced Boko Haram fighters would capture her again.

For two years after those initial few months, there was no news of them and the world moved on to other more pressing global matters. Then earlier this year, I received a tip-off earlier that a proof of life video existed of the Chibok girls — long presumed to be dead or sold into sex slavery.

Yet here was proof that they were clearly alive and well and the international spotlight was turned firmly on them once more. This video, I’m told by government sources, spurred action for the negotiation talks that eventually led to the release of some of them.

I was overjoyed when 21 of them were freed in October this year. The scenes of joy that followed the reunion with their parents are unforgettable. Mothers and fathers wept openly as they hugged and held the daughters they feared they would never see again.

One of the mothers took off her wrapper and carried her child squarely on her back, like you would an infant. It was one of the most touching scenes I’ve ever witnessed and a stark reminder that no matter how old you are, in your parents eyes, you will always be their child.

But the reunion was tinged with sadness for a handful of parents whose daughters remain in captivity — some 197 girls are still being held by Boko Haram. The families too deserve all the accolades — they stood strong in the face of indifference and ridicule. At least 13 of them have also been killed by Boko Haram.

I met some of the newly-released Chibok girls last month and the one thing that struck me was their resilience. One can only imagine the horrors of what they went through at the hands of their captors, yet their smiles were as bright as their colourful outfits.

Only when you give a welcoming hug do you feel their emaciated frames through the clothes. You catch a glimpse of a collarbone jutting out… clear signs of undernourishment, the pain masked in their eyes.

These young girls, some in their late teens and early 20s, were clearly unused to the limelight, yet find themselves thrust firmly into its glare.

Thousands of girls have been kidnapped by Boko Haram, yet it is the Chibok girls who have come to symbolize these kidnappings.

It is them that history will never forget.

Source: YNaija

No New Chibok Girls Released– FG

Posted on December 23, 2016 by Staff Reporter

The Nigerian government has denied reports claiming the release of another set of 21 Chibok school girls abducted by Boko Haram.

Reports had claimed that the girls, who were kidnapped in April 2014, had been transported to Yola, Adamawa State, after their release on Thursday.

Presidential spokesperson Garba Shehu denied that more girls had been released.

“No new girls have been released,” Mr. Shehu tweeted. “To my friends spreading the news of a further release of Chibok Girls, we are not there yet. But, by God’s grace, they will be. Happy Christmas, everyone.”

Mr. Shehu said the 21 girls reported Thursday were those released in October. He said they were being escorted by security to Yola on their way home to celebrate the Christmas with their families.

“Today, the DSS took the 21 Girls already secured to Yola, Adamawa State on their way home to celebrate the Christmas with their families.

“The negotiations are ongoing and the Department of State Service, DSS is full of optimism that they will be successful,” he wrote.

Credit:

http://www.premiumtimesng.com/news/headlines/218724-breaking-no-new-chibok-girls-released-nigerian-government.html

#BringBackOurGirls wins the International Human Rights ‘Emilio F. Mignone’ Prize 2016

Posted on December 6, 2016 by Staff Reporter

The Government of Argentina has awarded the #BringBackOurGirls movement the International Human Rights Prize ‘Emilio F. Mignone’ for work in advocacy towards respect for human rights worldwide.

The award ceremony will take place on Tuesday 6 December at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Buenos Aires.

The #BringBackOurGirls is being represented at the event by two members of the Movement– Aisha Yesufu who is the Chairperson of the Strategic Team, and Dr. Chinwe Madubuike, a member of the Team.

While in Argentina, they will as part of the award ceremonies, meet with the human rights group– Las Abuelas de Plaza de Mayo (The Grandmothers of Plaza de Mayo- a Citizens’ group with a historical origin similar to #BringBackOurGirls. It is made up of grandmothers, mothers and other citizens who have since 1977 been advocating for the return of an estimated 500 children abducted or born in detention during the military era and illegally adopted, with their identities hidden.

The Grandmothers of Plaza de Mayo has advocated weekly in the last thirty nine years. Their advocacy bears strong similarity with #BringBackOurGirls which has been on a daily campaign since 30 April 2014 for the rescue of now 196 out of the 219 #ChibokGirls abducted in their school on 14 April 2014.

Other engagements are with Equipo Argentino de Trabajo e Investigación Psicosocial (EATIP – Argentine Psychosocial Work and Research Team), the Argentine Forensic Anthropology Team (EEAF, Equipo Argentino de Antropología Forense). Special Representative for Human Rights in the international stage, Ambassador Leandro Despouy; General Director for Human Rights, Minister María Gabriela Quinteros; Director for Subsaharan Africa; and Director for Women’s Issues, Minister María Luisa Martino. Center for Legal and Social Studies (CELS, Centro de Estudios Legales y Sociales). Visit to the ex ESMA (ex Naval School of Mechanics), visit to the Parque de la Memoria (Memory Park). Monument to the victims of State Terrorism, and conclude with a dinner with the Mignone family.

Sesugh Akume

#BringBackOurGirls Spokesperson

More Chibok Girls Will Be Released- FG

Posted on November 29, 2016 by Staff Reporter

The Federal Government yesterday stated that dialogue was still ongoing to ensure the release of more Chibok girls and other persons held hostage by terrorists , even as it has threatened to deal with sponsors of Boko Haram as terrorists.

Senior Special Assistant to the president on Media and Publicity , Dr Femi Adesina made the assertion in Lagos after presenting a paper titled ‘ The Challenges and Expectations of the Media in Military Operations’ at a workshop organised by the Directorate of Army Public Relations, DAPR for its officers, Commanding officers and Defence correspondents.

Reiterating federal government’s resolve at ensuring that those held hostage by members of the Boko Haram sect were released in good condition, Adesina said ” This government is doing all it can to tackle insurgency. If it knows the sponsors and is double sure they are the sponsors, it would be left with no choice than to treat them like Boko Haram ”

He stated that those so far released from terrorists’ den by the military, were being rehabilitated “physically, psychologically and in all aspects. Their education is being taken care of as well. Talks are ongoing on the release of the remaining girls. Many more would be released,” he assured.

During his presentation, Adesina called on the need for there to be synergy between the Military and the media , in the former’s bid to tackle insurgency. He said “There must be synergy between the military and the media for national development. The military must arrange controlled access for the media at all times. It must know that communication with the public is not optional but an obligation and in national interest.

“All the media wants is information. So, the military should ensure that the media is fed on the need to know basis. Meet the reporters midway by providing information that would not jeopardise operations. There should be opportunities for open and independent news coverage facilitated by the military.

“Both the media and the military run on ethics. But, they are not mutually exclusive of each other. A relationship of creative tension must be accepted as a democratic necessity,” he said

http://www.vanguardngr.com/2016/11/chibok-girls-will-released-fg/

’61 captured Chibok girls married to Boko Haram fighters’ – Report

Posted on November 9, 2016 by Staff Reporter

The 21 released Chibok girls recently released by Boko Haram terrorists have said they were not raped or abused during their stay in captivity, according to a source.

Their statement was contained in a confidential report based on their two-week debriefing prepared for President Muhammadu Buhari and seen by the Thomson Reuters Foundation.

“The girls said the Boko Haram men always assured them that they would eventually go back home to their families, and were careful about what they said around the girls and how they treated them,” said the source.

“They had been fed well and regularly, until the military cut off Boko Haram supplies.”

The report also said the daily routine of the captured girls included personal time in the morning followed by Quranic teaching and cooking meals.

According to the girls, they were not forced into marriage by the terrorists.

“The girls said that those of them who did not agree to marry were used as house girls (servants),” the source said.

The report also stated that the released girls said 61 of the 142 girls had married Boko Haram militants, 8 died during air strikes, 3 during childbirth and one of an unknown cause.

Talks With Boko Haram Over Chibok Girls Still On- FG

Posted on November 7, 2016 by Staff Reporter

Contrary to speculations that talks with Boko Haram over the remaining 197 abducted Chibok girls have broken down, the Federal Government has insisted that negotiation for their release is ongoing.

Three weeks ago, 21 of the girls were released, a development that rekindled the hope that others will get freedom.

One of the girls was found at the weekend with a baby. Troops of the 121 Battalion, Nigerian Army deployed at Pulka, Gwoza Local Government Area, Borno State, found Maryam Ali Maiyanga and her 10- month-old baby while screening escapees from Sambisa Forest.
Minister of Information and Culture, Alhaji Lai Mohammed stated that there was no truth in the speculation making the rounds in Abuja.

The minister told said that the talks were still on, though he did not give details because of the security nature of the negotiation.

An earlier effort in the last few days to get information on the negotiations did not yield any positive result as security sources would not discuss the matter. Worse, there was no word from official security agencies as the Department of State Services (DSS) remains without a spokesman.

“It is not true (that the talks have broken down). Talks are still very much on course,” was all Mohammed volunteered.

Another source disclosed that as recently as last week Monday, when questions were put to the security services, they volunteered that negotiations were still on. “We make it our business to find out the level of negotiations going on, and of course with the way we asked, it was not possible for them to deceive us on the matter,” the source added.

It was learnt that the alleged freeze in discussions followed the failure of both parties to agree on the issue of money, though it could not be confirmed what money had to do with the negotiations, since the government has continued to maintain that it did not pay for the release of the first 21 girls.

The source said the insurgents’ negotiators appear to be asking for more money and release of some of their men in the government custody. “They are not happy with the initial claim that the girls were released for free,” a source said.

http://guardian.ng/news/talks-with-boko-haram-over-chibok-girls-still-on-says-government/

BBOG Tasks Journalists On Chibok Girls

Posted on November 1, 2016 by Staff Reporter

The #BringBackOurGirls(BBOG) group has called on journalists in country to continue to report the issue of the abducted girls until the remaining 197 girls are brought back home to re-unite with their families.

Speaking during its normal sit-out yesterday, one its members, Fati Abba-Kaka stated that the role of journalists is pivotal in pushing the federal government to do the needful and bring the remaining girls back.

She also urged the media to give the 21 released Chibok girls some space to allow them adjust to a normal life after the trauma they had passed through.

Recall that last week, the co-covener of the #BBOG, Dr Oby Ezekwesili has frowned over media frenzy on the released 21 Chibok girls, as they needed to adjust slowly to nomalcy.

Ezekwesili, who was speaking during the sit-out of the group yesterday , expressed fear that the constant media frenzy and picture taking would affect the adjustment of the girls into nomalcy.

“The girls are being made to forget quickly. That is not how it should be. I worry how this rapid semblance of normancly will affect the girls. It can be dangerous.

“We are not satisfied with the approach. In what I have learnt, people had passed through the trauma like that of the Chibok girls should not be exposed to frequent interaction. The girls has gone through a lot, physically, psychological and morally. The process have to be managed in a systematic way. We need to get a good handle on them so that we won’t regret latter,” she added.

“There needs to be an adjustment process which we think it is not happening. Enough with the pictures. We don’t need all that. The most important is their families and their care givers. We don’t need the pictures of the girls every where. We are not the implementers. We are an advocacy group and getting the girls to be wholesome is the responsibility of the government. Recession has not gotten where the government cannot do an adjustment programme for them. We are not satisfied. Enough of th pictures. Stop moving them about. There is a long journey to them fully coming back,” she said.

Credit:

http://leadership.ng/chibokgirls/557033/bbog-tasks-journalists-on-chibok-girls

Jonathan was never committed to defeating Boko Haram – Osinbajo

Posted on November 1, 2016 by Staff Reporter

Vice-President Yemi Osinbajo said on Monday that despite what his administration might want people to believe, former President Goodluck Jonathan was never committed to ending the Boko Haram insurgency during his tenure.

Osinbajo said this in a lecture titled, “The unraveling of Boko Haram and the rebuilding of the North-East of Nigeria” which he delivered at the Harvard University’s Weatherland Centre for International Affairs, United States.

The Vice-President’s media office made the speech available to journalists on Monday.

While attributing his position to many factors, Osinbajo said it was politically convenient for the then ruling Peoples Democratic Party to claim that the Boko Haram sect was sponsored by a northern-Muslim political elite to discredit the government led by a Christian.

He recalled that when the All Progressives Congress was formed, the then ruling party was also quick to paint it (APC) as the political wing of the Boko Haram sect.

He said it was not until President Muhammadu Buhari who was then the leader of the opposition, was nearly killed in an attack in Kaduna that the false narrative began to lose credibility.

The Vice-President added, “Secondly, the ruling party also somewhat cynically seemed to have considered that since BH attacks were actually in the heartland of the opposition it was not necessarily an unwelcome development as it could only weaken the opposition.

“Third, extensive corruption in arms procurement estimated at about $15bn, ensured that the military remained poorly equipped and demoralised.

“A number of well-publicised mutinies occurred and troops involved were taken through widely unpopular court-martials.

“As the government dithered and equivocated BH proceeded to realise the objective of occupying territory and establishing Islamist states in Nigeria and in the Lake Chad basin.

“In Borno State alone, it occupied and hoisted its flag in 20 of the 27 Local Government Areas that constituted the state. In Adamawa State, BH took Mubi and some villages in Yobe State.”

Osinbajo said it was not until the abduction of more than 200 secondary schoolgirls from their dormitories in Chibok that public outrage against Jonathan’s government’s inept handling of the insurgency reached its peak.

He added that the government then incurred widespread anger when it denied that an abduction took place and suggested that the opposition had simply invented the story.

Osinbajo, however, said Buhari’s assumption of office changed the tide.

He said the strongest reasons for Buhari’s victory in the March 2015 presidential election was the expectation that going by his reputation as a no-nonsense soldier, he would defeat Boko Haram and restore peace to the North-East.

True to type, he said within six months of Buhari’s Presidency, the sect had been effectively dislodged from all the local governments they once held and had retreated into the Sambisa Forest and the northern border towns and villages.

He said the terrorists’ military capacity had been severely degraded and their supply lines effectively blocked.

Osinbajo said the ability of Boko Haram to get willing suicide bombers remained a mystery.

Chibok Girl’s Baby Not For Boko Haram, Report Says 21 Released Girls Were Not Sexually Abused

Posted on October 28, 2016 by Staff Reporter

One of the Chibok schoolgirls that came back with a child was already pregnant before she was abducted along with 219 other girls by Boko Haram gunmen on 14 April 2014.

A source close to negotiations to free the remaining schoolgirls told newsmen that there was no truth whatsoever in stories making the rounds that the girl was impregnated by one of her Boko Haram abductors.

The informed source clarified that contrary to some media reports, the girl had conceived before her abduction after being properly married.

“The girl and her parents have confirmed this. The child is not a Boko Haram Child,’’he said. The source also debunked stories that one of the girls came back pregnant, with some reports specifically saying one was four months pregnant.

“None of the girls released was sexually harassed or abused while in captivity by their abductors,” he said. “The current state of the girls is a source of joy as they are receiving the best medical, psychological and other forms of support from the authorities as directed by the Federal Government “All groups including the families, The Bring Back Our Girls (BBOG) and Chibok Community are happy with their condition as medical experts work to address their health conditions.

“The girls have been visited by members of International Committee of the Red Cross, which played a great role in getting the girls freed. “It is obvious to everyone that having been in captivity, the girls were traumatised but since their release, they are showing signs of recovering well,’’he said.

Rumours, speculative reports about the state of the 21 released Boko Haram captives, are said to be creating stumbling blocks to further talks with the insurgents. The insurgents were said to be angry with Government for breaching some understanding reached with them when the 21 girls were being handed over 13 october.

However, government sources have denied any link with various speculative reports, especially in the social media.

Credit:

http://www.vanguardngr.com/2016/10/chibok-girls-child-not-boko-haram/

UNICEF Urges FG To Rehabilitate Released Chibok Girls

Posted on October 18, 2016 by Staff Reporter

The United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) on Tuesday called on the Federal Government to provide intensive support for the 21 released Chibok girls to safeguard their future.

The group made the call in a statement signed by Mr Gianfranco Rotigliano, its Country Representative and made available to newsmen in Maiduguri.

“The release is a great news and we are delighted to see the girls back with their families. “But we must keep pressing for all the women and children held by Boko Haram to be freed.

“And we must bear in mind that all of those who have been held by Boko Haram will face a long and difficult process to rebuild their lives after the indescribable trauma they have suffered,”

Rotigliano said. He also said that the more than 200 Chibok girls abducted by Boko Haram in April 2014 were among thousands of women and girls that UNICEF estimated had been held and subjected to violence by the group. “UNICEF has supported hundreds of women and girls who have already been released or escaped from Boko Haram.

“The girls’ report that they have been subjected to rape – frequently in the form of forced marriages – beatings, intimidation and starvation during their captivity. Many returned pregnant or with babies as a result of rape.

“When they do reach safety, girls who have been held by Boko Haram are often ill, malnourished, traumatised and exhausted.

“They are in need of medical attention and psychosocial support so that they can begin to come to terms with their experiences and reintegrate with their families and communities.

“Frequently, returning to their families and communities is the beginning of a new ordeal for the girls, as the sexual violence they have suffered often results in stigmatisation.

“People are also often afraid that the girls have been indoctrinated by Boko Haram and that they pose a threat to their communities. “The use by Boko Haram of children – mostly girls – as so called ‘suicide bombers’ has fueled such fears.

“Children born as a result of the sexual violence are at even greater risk of rejection, abandonment and violence.

“Since January, UNICEF and its partner International Alert have been providing psychosocial support for women and girls who have experienced sexual violence in the hands of Boko Haram.

“UNICEF and International Alert are also working with affected communities through a network of trained religious and community leaders to promote acceptance and to address negative perceptions that hamper the reintegration of women and girls who have suffered such violence.

“Funding from the Swedish International Development Agency and the UK Department for International Development has so far this year enabled UNICEF to provide a comprehensive programme of reintegration assistance to more than 750 women and girls subjected to Boko Haram-related sexual violence.

“With such large numbers of women and girls having been held by the group, however, the long-term provision of much-needed support remains heavily underfunded,’’ the UNICEF official said.

Credit:

http://www.vanguardngr.com/2016/10/unicef-urges-fg-rehabilitate-released-chibok-girls/

Chibok Girls: Buhari Gives Conditions For Further Talks With Boko Haram

Posted on October 18, 2016 by Staff Reporter

President Muhammadu Buhari has said that the federal government is ready to continue negotiations with Boko Haram for the release of the remaining Chibok secondary school girls as long as international organisations are involved.

The president’s media aide, ?Mr. Femi Adesina, said the president gave the condition during a meeting with the President of the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC), Mr. Peter Maurer, at the State House, Abuja, yesterday.

Buhari commended the role played by the Red Cross in the release of the 21 abducted Chibok schoolgirls who were freed last Thursday after the federal government paid an undisclosed amount of money to the terror group, urging the Red Cross to sustain its humanitarian efforts in Nigeria.

?He said his administration was prepared to continue talks with the Boko Haram insurgent group “as long as they agree to involve international agencies like ICRC”.

“We’ve seen the result of recent talks, 21 of the Chibok girls are back,” the president said, referring to the role played by ICRC in providing immediate humanitarian assistance to the girls, who had spent over 900 days in the hands of their abductors.

Buhari said Nigeria’s biggest problem was perhaps the issue of internally displaced persons (IDPs), noting that there were over 2 million of them, “made up of over 60 per cent women and children”.

“About 60 per cent of the children don’t know their parents, or where they come from. It is weighing heavily on government,” he added.

BBOG group knocks Buhari’s daughter for raising N3.5m ‘with its brand name’

Posted on October 17, 2016 by Staff Reporter

The BringBackOurGirls (BBOG) group has expressed shock at the use of its brand name at a fundraising by Hadiza Buhari-Bello, President Muhammadu Buhari’s daughter.

At the event, which was held on Monday, the Peace Corps of Nigeria donated N3.5m to Africa Support and Empowerment Initiative, a non-governmental organisation owned by Buhari-Bello as part of an endowment fund for the Chibok girls.

“Bringbackourgirls” was inscribed boldly on the backdrop of the event.

But the advocacy group led by Oby Ezekwesili has disassociated itself from the event, promising to issue a response through its lawyer, Femi Falana.

In a statement signed by Ezekwesili and Aisha Yesufu, the group said the organisers of the event were trying to smear its hard-earned name.

The BBOG group emphasised that it was a self-funded movement, and not a money-making NGO.

“Following repeated enquiries from the media, we stumbled upon information of an event tagged ‘Official Inauguration and Signing of Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) on the Chibok Girls Endowment Project’ organised by the ‘Peace Corps of Nigeria’ and ‘Africa Support and Empowerment Initiative,’ with Hadiza Buhari-Bello,” the statement read.

“We are shocked, perplexed and completely dumbfounded to see the bold inscription of our hard-earned name, #BringBackOurGirls, on the event’s backdrop. We state categorically that we are not party to the said event and have absolutely no information of its origin. We urge the general public to disregard attempts at linking our movement to this highly suspicious event.

“After 902 days of painstaking advocacy, it is disheartening and unfortunate to suddenly see attempts, by external actors, to use it for selfish purposes. We have carefully built our reputation as a well-organised and disciplined global movement that is completely self-funded.

“The deliberate decision, to remain funded by sacrificial contributions of members for our very negligible needs, is the reason we are solely a Citizens’ Movement, and not an NGO. It will be highly injurious to allow it be dragged in the mud at this point. We therefore demand an immediate retraction and unreserved apology from the organisers.

“Together with our lawyers, Femi Falana & Co., we are considering a response to this attempt to smear our movement. We call on the general public and law enforcement agencies to be on the lookout for unscrupulous persons who may already be/are planning similar nefarious acts to deceive the local and international community.”?

Speaking with TheCable, Onwuka Don Uche, national secretary of the NGO, said he tried to reach members of the BBOG group but failed at every turn.

“I tried to contact members of the group, but I couldn’t reach any of them,” he said.

“I dropped a message for Oby Ezekwesili on Twitter, but there was no response. We will reach out to group. It is purely a fund for the Chibok girls, and we want to make BBOG a signatory to the account.”

Release of 21 Chibok girls is a demonstration of Buhari’s sincerity – Imo Deputy Governor

Posted on October 17, 2016 by Staff Reporter

Imo Deputy Governor, Eze Madumere has said the release of 21 Chibok girls is a demonstration of President Buhari’s sincerity, responsibility and responsive leadership.

Madumere told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Abuja on Monday that the All Progressives Congress (APC) led Federal Government had demonstrated its preparedness to salvage Nigerians from the doldrums of economic and social insecurity.

According to him, the development is exciting and worth celebrating and the release has once again rekindled the hope of other parents and Nigerians that the administration will truly rebuild the country.

“The good news has proved the fact that the Buhari administration is sincere in his electoral promises which are being pursued with vigor,’’ Madumere said.

The deputy governor, who called on Nigerians to support the Federal Government, said that more promises would be delivered in future.

He said that the Buhari administration was people-oriented, and doing everything possible to ameliorate the plight of the entire citizenry.

Madumere expressed confidence in the capability of Buhari in restoring hope to Nigerians, and called on Nigerians to be patriotic.

NAN recalls that the 21 Chibok girls were released from Boko Haram captivity on Oct 13. (NAN)

Boko Haram ready to negotiate the release of 83 Chibok girls – Presidency

Posted on October 17, 2016 by Staff Reporter

The Senior Special Assistant to President Muhammdu Buhari on Media and Publicity, Garba Shehu, on Sunday announced that the Boko Haram insurgents have expressed willingness to negotiate with the Federal Government on the release of 83 more Chibok girls.

Recall that the insurgents had on Thursday released 21 of the Chibok girls after over two years in captivity.

Reports filtered in yesterday that the group may give the government two conditions for the release of the girls.

Affirming the report, Shehu, in an interview with Reuters Foundation, said a faction of the Islamic sect released the girls to assure the current administration that they had them.

According to Shehu, “These 21 released girls are supposed to be tale bearers to tell the Nigerian government that this faction of Boko Haram has 83 more Chibok girls.

“The faction said it is ready to negotiate if the government is willing to sit down with them.

The Presidential media aide, also disclosed that the remaining abducted Chibok girls were with the Shekau faction of the terrorist group.

Boko Haram group was reported to have been factionalised, following the appointment of Musab Al-Barnawi by the deadly Jihadist group, ISIS, to head the sect in August.

However, the leader of the group, Abubakar Shekau had dismissed Al-Barnawi’s appointment, insisting he remains the leader of the extremist group.

Negative comments can jeopardise Chibok girls release – FG

Posted on October 17, 2016 by Staff Reporter

Minister of Information and Culture, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, has appealed to commentators and analysts to refrain from making statements that can jeopardise the release of the Chibok girls who are still in captivity.

A press statement by the Special Adviser to the Minister, Segun Adeyemi, said Mohammed made the appeal at a special thanksgiving church service and reunion of the 21 girls with their families, yesterday in Abuja.

“They are many reckless analysts and commentators who are not helping the situation. We still have many of our children in captivity. Therefore, we have to be careful with the kind of comments that we make. We must not make comments that will make the release of these girls difficult or impossible”, he said.

Alhaji Mohammed, who quoted from the scriptures stating: “Those who are with us are more than those who are with them,” said those who doubted the sincerity and commitment of the present administration to the safe release of the abducted Chibok girls have been disappointed.

“When President Muhammed Buhari said that the Boko Haram saga will not be closed until all the girls abducted have been released and reunited with their families safely, those who doubted did not believe us. So we thank God this day has come,” he said.

He appealed to the parents of the girls who are yet to be freed to continue to exercise patience, saying: “This is the beginning and we are very optimistic that very soon another batch, bigger than this, will be released. I want to assure you that these negotiations are ongoing even as we speak.”

Speaking, Chairman of the Parents of the Abducted Chibok School Girls, Yakubu Nkeki, re-echoed the minister’s plea and appealed to the people to stop spreading rumours, particularly on the social media, that will put the lives of the girls at risk.

In her testimony, the spokesperson of the released girls, Miss Gloria Dame, who recalled their ordeal in captivity, thanked God and all those who made their safe release and reunion with their families possible.

Miss Dame, who spoke in Hausa, prayed that God will ensure the safe release of the other girls still in captivity.

“We never thought we would ever see this moment, but God has made it possible for us. I want to appeal to all of us to fast and pray for the safe release of those left behind,” she said.

While delivering the sermon, Dr. Shiktra Kwali admonished the girls not to allow the experience weigh them down and urged them to remain steadfast in serving God.

Names of the 21 released #ChibokGirls, and a baby.

Posted on October 13, 2016 by Staff Reporter

Below are the names of the 21 released #ChibokGirls , and a baby:

1. Maryam Usman

2. Jummai John

3. Blessing Abana

4. Lugwu Sanda

5. Comfort Habila

6. Maryam Basheer

7. Comfort Amos

8. Glory Mainta

9. Saratu Emmanuel

10. Deborah Ja’afaru

11. Rahap Ibrahim

12. Helen Musa

13. Maryam Lawal

14. Rebecca Ibrahim

15. Asabe Goni

16. Deborah Andraus

17. Agnes Gabani

18. Saratu Marcus

19. Glory Damma

20. Binda Nuhu

21. Rebecca Malo

(Baby: Bukar Amos)

Amnesty International: Privacy of 21 Chibok Girls released should be a priority

Posted on October 13, 2016 by Staff Reporter

Responding to the announcement by Nigerian government that secured the release of 21 Chibok girls abducted by Boko Haram Netsanet Belay, Amnesty International’s Regional Advocacy Director, said:

“The release of 21 of the kidnapped Chibok schoolgirls by the armed group Boko Haram is a big relief. However, it is vital now that they receive adequate physical and psychosocial counselling and support so that they can fully reintegrate in their communities. The government should also respect their privacy and ensure that the released girls are reunited with their families and not kept in lengthy detention and security screening which can only add to their suffering and plight.

“Boko Haram members have executed and tortured thousands of civilians and raped and forced into marriage girls and women. They have been indoctrinated and even forced to fight for Boko Haram.

The Nigerian authorities must now do more to ensure the safe return of the thousands of women and girls, as well as men and boys abducted by Boko Haram.”

Release of Chibok Girls is only to divert people’s attention from the recession – Fayose

Posted on October 13, 2016 by Staff Reporter

Ekiti State Governor, Mr Ayodele Fayose, has faulted the celebration by the federal government over the release of 21 Chibok girl?s by the armed Boko Haram group, saying that such is not only diversionary, but that it can not take away the fact that Nigerians are suffering and they are yearning for relief.

He, therefore, called on Nigerians to engage in serious prayers for God to ameliorate their sufferings.

He said this in Iyin-Ekiti, Irepodun/Ifelodun Local Government Area of the state on Thursday while inaugurating a block of four classrooms built for the Erelu Angela Adebayo Children’s Home by his wife, Feyisetan.

“What they came out today to tell Nigerians that 21 abducted Chibok girls have been released by the Boko Haram group is diversionary. Nigerians have never had it so bad. People are very hungry. What they did today is just to divert attention from what they did last week by clamping judges and justices into detention. While no one is saying corruption should be condoned, but the due process must be followed.

“The Peoples Democratic Party-led Federal Government that they labelled as inept, did better than this. The exchange rate of the naira to the dollar is unacceptable. The situation has led to hyper-inflation where what people used to buy for N30,000 can not be bought with N100,000?. Look at the elections that have been conducted since they came to office, all the gains recorded by the previous government as far as democracy is concerned are being eroded,” he said.

Fayose, who urged the opposition in the state to see Ekiti as everybody’s project, opined that after election has been won and lost, the ideal thing should be to work together for the progress of the state.

The governor commended his wife for building on what her predecessor in office did instead of starting her own pet project.

“As you have done this, don’t worry, others will come to recognise you too and what is important is that we work for posterity to judge us. This is already on records and generations coming after us will know we made our impact while leading this state,” he said.

The governor donated the sum of N250,000 to buy clothing materials for the children of the home.

He also gave another N250,000 to buy food items for them, just as he gave automatic employment to a lady helping to take care of the children.

In her speech, Mrs Feyisetan Fayose, said it was an uncommon divine opportunity to be in charge of the state at this point in time.

She thanked the governor and others for supporting the project financially and otherwise.

How 21 Missing Chibok Girls Were Freed- Officials

Posted on October 13, 2016 by Staff Reporter

The Nigerian government has given an insight into the negotiations that led to the release of 21 Chibok school girls.

A confirmation the girls had been freed came Thursday morning.

“The release of the girls, in a limited number is the outcome of negotiations between the administration and the Boko Haram brokered by the International Red Cross and the Swiss government,” a statement issued by presidential spokesperson, Garba Shehu, said.

He said the talks will continue.

Separately, officials briefed about the deal that the girls were swapped for four Boko Haram insurgents. Names of the militants were not released.

Boko Haram demanded the release of its members held by the government, as condition for freeing the girls.

The officials said that the exchange took place Wednesday night when Nigerian military officials, alongside personnel of United Nations, Red Cross and National Emergency Management Agency, conveyed four Boko Haram militants by a chopper to Banki, a border town in Bama local government area of Borno State.

There, 21 released girls were picked up. The girls were brought into Maiduguri Air Force base at about 8.30a.m.
A source said most of the girls had babies.

They were immediately flown to Abuja at 9a.m.

Many residents of Maiduguri were woken by the sounds of aircraft hovering in the air Thursday morning.

http://www.premiumtimesng.com/news/headlines/212665-how-21-missing-chibok-girls-were-freed-officials.html

BBOG: Official Position on the Negotiated Release of 21 #ChibokGirls

Posted on October 13, 2016 by Staff Reporter

We welcome reports from the Presidential Spokesperson, Garba Shehu, of the negotiated release of 21 of our abducted #ChibokGirls today. This wonderful development confirms what we have always known about the capacity of our goverment to rescue our #ChibokGirls.

While awaiting further details, we take this opportunity to salute the work of our security services at the front lines – the commitment, resilience and tireless efforts of our members of the Multi-national Joint Task Force and the civilian JTF. We also thank the International Committee of the Red Cross, the Swiss government and all negotiators involved in securing the release.

Following this development, we trust that our government will continue to work to keep the safety, security, and well-being of the other girls a high priority. We further urge the international community to continue to support our government’s effort to rescue all other abducted Nigerians, so that parents, the Chibok community, the nation, and the world can finally put an end to this nightmare once and for all.

BREAKING: 21 Chibok Girls Released By Boko Haram

Posted on October 13, 2016 by Staff Reporter

Twenty one of the more than 200 Chibok schoolgirls kidnapped by Islamist Boko Haram insurgents in April 2014 has been released to the Nigerian government, a government source told SaharaReporters.

The sources disclosed that the girls were picked up by military helicopter from Banki area of Borno state where Boko Haram militants dropped them off earlier today.

The release of the 21 girls comes as President Buhari began a three-day trip to Germany to discuss assistance for the rebuilding of the northeastern part of Nigeria ravaged by Boko Haram.

Saharareporters could not immediately obtain the names of the girls released today.

Buhari Rejects N1.7tr Ransom For Chibok Girls

Posted on October 5, 2016 by Staff Reporter

Boko Haram demanded from the Federal Government €5billion (about N1,706,850,000,000) to free 219 Chibok girls . The Euro exchanged for approximately N341.37 last night.

President Muhammadu Buhari allegedly got wind of the August 27, 1985 coup d’état against him as a military Head of State but he did not foil it to avoid executing some senior Army officers.

These facts are contained in the book, “Muhammadu Buhari: The challenges of leadership in Nigeria”, authored by Prof. John Paden.

The book, which was presented to the public on Monday at the International Conference Centre in Abuja, contained some unknown issues about the President.

But the insider’s account on the botched negotiation between Boko Haram and the Federal Government provided fresh insights into the plight of the Chibok girls.

Some excerpts from the book are: “An additional issue was the status of the Chibok girls. Secret negotiations had been held regarding an exchange of Boko Haram prisoners for the girls.

“On several occasions, prisoners were taken to Maiduguri to facilitate an exchange. But these negotiations stalled when Boko Haram demanded a ransom of €5billion for the girls.

“The dilemma for the DSS, which was handling the negotiations, was that a military assault to rescue the girls would almost certainly result in their deaths at the hands of their Boko Haram captors.

“But the Nigerian government was not going to accede to Boko Haram’s extra-ordinary demand for a vast sum of money which would no doubt be used to fund future attacks.

“One or two girls were able to escape their captors in May, but the rest remained captive and the impasse continued

“The Chibok girls were not alone in their grim fate. Hundreds if not thousands, of persons had been captured by Boko Haram in the North-East. Buhari would need to continue degrading Boko Haram until he could tighten the noose around its Sambisa hideouts and bring a close end to this painful episode.”

On why Buhari placed his ministers on lower salaries and allowances, the author said the President wanted to make ministerial appointment less attractive as a way of curbing corruption in public office.

He went on: “Buhari was trying to eliminate the allure of ministerial appointments as a means of accruing wealth either through receiving a generous salary or through exploiting power for corrupt personal gain.
“Of course, the effort to combat corruption also required creating disincentives for corrupt practices strong enough to dissuade ministers from ‘chopping’ on the side. The penalty if caught would be dismissal and public shaming.”

Concerning the arrest of a former Minister of Petroleum Resources, Mrs. Diezani Alison-Madueke, the author said the ties between the President and ex-Prime Minister David Cameron made it possible.

“Yet the close ties between Buhari and British (former) Prime Minister David Cameron facilitated efforts to launch a coordinated effort to bring money launderers to book, as demonstrated in the role of the London Metropolitan Police in the case of Diezani Alison-Madueke.”

The National Crime Agency (NCA) in the UK arrested and quizzed Mrs Alison-Madueke and four others on October 2, 2015 for alleged bribery and corruption and money laundering.

Also the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) has interrogated between three and five more suspects since Mrs Alison-Madueke’s interrogation by the NCA.

The same NCA had last year obtained permission from a Westminster Magistrate’s Court to seize £27,000 from Mrs Alison-Madueke and two other women.

Regarding the counter-coup of August 27, 1985 which led to Buhari’s removal as a military Head of State and the emergence of ex-President Ibrahim Babangida, the author said the President knew a plot was coming but he did not want to shed blood.

The book reads: “The question has arisen subsequently as to whether Buhari knew about the countercoup in advance.

“Given his ‘appreciation’ of complex situations, it is argued by some, how could he not have known? Some of those closest to Buhari at the time have subsequently argued that he did know a countercoup was coming. They insist that Buhari calculated that to preempt this plan would have meant executing six or eight senior officers. This he was unwilling to do.”

The book explained that Buhari was detained after the 1985 coup in Akure and Benin from August 27, 1985 to December 1988.

The book states: “Babangida also tried to look for ways to indict Buhari personally, but his integrity and grassroots popularity helped protect him.

“After the Babangida countercoup, three of the ministers were retained. Babangida also set up the Aboyade probe into the finances of Buhari and some key ministers but the investigators could find no evidence of any personal aggrandisement on his part during his term as Head of State.

“Significantly, the three ministers retained from the previous administration by Babangida-Lukman, Bali and David-West— strongly defended the integrity of Buhari and his close associates, and no charges were ever brought against Buhari.

“Meanwhile, Buhari had been taken from Lagos by plane to Akure in Ondo State. After a few months in Akure, he was taken to Benin City in the south of the country, where he would stay under house arrest until his release in December 1988.”

Insane Shekau must release Chibok girls unconditionally – Army

Posted on September 26, 2016 by Staff Reporter

The Nigerian Army has described the controversial factional leader of Boko Haram terrorists, as mentally ill and unstable person whose end is near, despite issuing threats in the latest video.

The Director of Army Public Relations (DAPR), Col. Sani Usman, in a statement yesterday, said the video clip is a mere propaganda and sign of desperation for a man who was reported to have been “Fatally wounded” in military air strike.

“The attention of the Nigerian Army has been drawn to a video clip released by the so-called Abubakar Shekau faction of the remnants of the Boko Haram terrorists group this morning.

“In it, the purported leader of the group in his usual insane manner made all sorts of assertions to the point of threatening various towns, groups and individuals.

“He also tried albeit failingly to deny the air raid by the Nigerian Air Force in which he was wounded,” Usman stated.

He said: “The video has shown beyond all reasonable doubt the earlier suspicion that the purported factional terrorists group leader is mentally sick and unstable.”

According to him, “The ranting is also another sign that the end is near for him which is part of the signs of all wicked people.”

Usman urged members of the public not to be bothered by the contents of the video clip, saying “the facts on the ground speak for themselves.”

The army spokesman said the video had further shown that Shekau has derailed and no longer believes and practices the Islam he professes to follow; as he was absent at the last Eid prayers video.

“It is equally reported that he could not even lead prayers. The public should not be fooled by this individual,” he advised.

Usman said no nation or society would believe him or any Boko Haram terrorist based on antecedents and as he has shown over times to be irrational and therefore unreliable especially when it comes to negotiations on the release of the abducted girls.

To this end, he said Shekau must release the Chibok girls unconditionally.

“We want to assure Nigerians especially the residents of Maiduguri, Kano, Kaduna and Zaria not to panic as we have more than what it takes to defend them and deal decisively with the remnants of the terrorists group,” he declared.

Usman further stated that Boko Haram terrorism as it was known, is gone for good.

According to him, the military is just counting down to the day when all the few remnants would be totally wiped out or brought to justice.

However, he said a window still existed for the repentant ones among them to lay down their arms and surrender to justice.

Also, the Defence Headquarters (DHQ) has said it is not interested in whether Shekau is alive or dead but to continue with elimination of all forms of terrorism in the country.

The Director of Defence Information (DDI), Brig-Gen. Rabe Abubakar, stated this in response to inquiries about the latest Shekau video clip.

Abubakar said the military has made tremendous gains in the counter-terrorism and counter-insurgency operations in the North-east, and would not be distracted by the antics of the terrorists.

He said: “The DHQ’s position has always been clear that whether Shekau is alive or not doesn’t in anyway matter to us. What is important and pre-occupies mind is to consolidate on the unprecedented gains and successes recorded to terminate the remnants of the sect in order to free completely the North-east.

“Indeed, we are set to free our dear nation from their unholy activities and mindless propaganda and show of shame. They are very much aware that their end is near as our coordinated operations are continuing.”

The Defence spokesman said the Boko Haram terrorists have been defeated except the few remnants who are in disarray and using social media to stay afloat.

According to him, Boko Haram members are surrendering in droves to the military and warned those that have failed to do so to either surrender or be exterminated.

“We have been heating them hard and so the only soft ground for them is the non traditional media where all cock and bull stories can be fashioned to serve their evil and inglorious acts.

“They know what we have done to them and what we are up to. They are losing by the day and their members are surrendering on daily basis,” Abubakar said.

He urged: “The remnant terrorist groups and their followers to turn up yourself for your own good before it is late.”

In a related development, the Nigerian troops have repelled the renewed Boko Haram attacks in Logomani, Borno State, killing 22 terrorists and lost four soldiers in the gun battle.

Usman, in a statement said some suspected remnants of Boko Haram fighters at 10a.m. yesterday, attacked the troops location of at Logomani along Dikwa-Gambarou road.

Usman said the terrorists came in a three waves attack using 36 hand grenades and rocket propelled launchers.

“Our troops fought gallantly and repelled the attack which lasted for about one hour. At the end of the fierce encounter, the troops counted 22 dead bodies of Boko Haram fighter. They also recovered two AK-47 rifles, FN rifle, G3 rifle and some 36 Hand grenades,” he stated.

Unfortunately, he said, the troops lost four soldiers and their rifles as a result of the effect of Boko Haram use of Rocket Propelled Grenades, while two others were wounded in action.

The DAPR said the wounded in action have been evacuated for further medical management.

He also disclosed that the location has been reinforced and replenished, while the troops have continued their clearance operations.

Buhari Invites U.N As Negotiator For Chibok Girls

Posted on September 23, 2016 by Staff Reporter

President Muhammadu Buhari has told the United Nations Secretary General, Ban Ki-moon, that Nigeria would welcome intermediaries from the global body as part of his administration’s commitment to swapping the abducted schoolgirls from Chibok with Boko Haram fighters in custody.

Speaking during a bilateral meeting with the UN scribe at the sidelines of the 71st UN General Assembly in New York, President Buhari said the Nigerian government was willing to bend over backwards, to get the Chibok girls released from captivity.

He said: “The challenge is in getting credible and bona fide leadership of Boko Haram to discuss with,”

“The split in the insurgent group is not helping matters. Government had reached out, ready to negotiate, but it became difficult to identify credible leaders. We will welcome intermediaries such as UN outfits, to step in.”

The President, in a statement by the Special Adviser on Media and Publicity, Femi Adesina, also reiterated that the teachings of Boko Haram were far from being Islamic, as neither Islam, nor any other religion, advocates hurting the weak and innocent.

Chibok girls: Buhari invites U.N as negotiator

BBOG Group Welcomes FG’s Feedback On Chibok Girls’ Rescue Operation

Posted on September 17, 2016 by Staff Reporter

It seems the series of activities the #BringBringBackOurGirls group has embarked on in order to re-engage the government on the issue of the abducted Chibok girls have yielded fruit as government finally broke it’s silence.

The Buhari administration has announced a fresh bid to rescue the abducted Chibok schoolgirls from Boko Haram.

Recall that the Minister of Information and Culture, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, on Friday has addressed Journalists on the issue.

Lai had said that previous efforts to bring back the girls were frustrated by in-fighting among the insurgents and middle men, who exploited the process for pecuniary gains.

Reacting to the minister’s briefing, the spokesperson of the group , Abubakar Abdullahi stated that it was a welcome development adding that it hoped the feedback on the rescue operation of the girls will be a continuous process.

“It’s a start. We have been asking for feedback on the rescue efforts. We welcome factual communication and hope this signals a period of continuous feedback. We will monitor progress and act accordingly, “ he said.

http://leadership.ng/chibokgirls/550888/bbog-group-welcomes-fgs-feedback-on-chibok-girls-rescue-operation

Information Minister, Lai Mohammed Gives Update On Chibok Girls Swap

Posted on September 16, 2016 by Staff Reporter

Lai Mohammed, minister of information, Friday, provided an update on the Chibok girls.

His words:”Good afternoon, gentlemen of the press.

Members of the public may recall that when the present administration came on board, Mr. President pledged to Nigerians to ensure the security of lives and property of every Nigerian, provide employment for the nation’s teeming youths and fight corruption. Since that time, the security agencies have been saddled with the responsibility of dealing with the threat of terrorism which has ravaged most parts of the Northern region.

You will also recall that from the physical destruction of communities and strategic institutions, the terrorist elements also engaged in abduction of women and children in the affected parts. Most painful was the abduction of the School girls in Chibok at the twilight of the past administration in 2014. When Mr. President assumed leadership of this country, he immediately directed security agencies to urgently fashion out strategies to trace, locate and ensure the safe and successful release of the Chibok girls. This was the mandate given to security agencies.

Gentlemen, it was consequent upon this directive that the security agencies, comprising of the Nigerian Army, Air Force, Navy, Police and the DSS, commenced action in June 2015. To this effect also, the DSS established a special tactical unit to review the gamut of actions so far carried out to secure the release of the Chibok girls, establish why the action has recorded no success as it were and to present a roadmap for possible success.

In this process, the DSS and the other security agencies observed the following:

Many persons or groups posing as negotiators actually had no veritable intelligence nor the reach to facilitate the release of the Chibok girls;

The efforts were clouded by persons with very partisan interests and whose main objective was solely to score cheap political points. It was obvious their approach had no relevance to the release of the girls;

Some informants or persons volunteering to be negotiators or facilitators saw and treated the girls’ fate and indeed the situation as a conduit to enrich themselves, thus making the whole thing a pecuniary venture; and

As a result of the conflicting and partisan interests, issues were muddled up to the extent that reasonable and fruitful leads either failed or simply came too late for any useful action.

It was therefore found that in the midst of these strong competing interests and unnecessary rivalries, nothing was achieved before the 2015 handover date. It was based on these that the security agencies set out to work for the release of the girls.

First, there was the need to identify those with relevant intelligence on the groups holding the girls, as well as establish sources of contact in touch with the group. This exercise was found not to be an easy task. On those holding the Chibok girls, there was also a high level of mistrust, as they too found many approaches or groups claiming to be in touch with them as false or unreliable.

In this new bid, many offers ranging from credible, not credible to outright off-mark information came to the Government. Some international bodies and countries also provided leads. It was out of this that relevant security agencies were able to strike a chord. By the third week of July 2015, a contact group was in touch with credible assets who had the reach, and who attested to the fact that some of the Chibok girls were alive. Mr. President was then briefed of these assets and intelligence and he gave his assent for further negotiations on the Chibok girls.

Precisely on 17th July, 2015, the DSS opened negotiations process with the group holding the Chibok girls. However, in return for the release of some of these girls, the group also made some demands. These included the release of some of their fighters arrested including some involved in major terrorist actions, resulting in several fatalities, and others who were experts in manufacture of locally assembled explosives. This was difficult to accept, but appropriate security agencies had to again inform Mr. President of these demands, and its viewed implications. Again Mr. President gave his assent believing that the overall release of these girls remains paramount and sacrosanct.

Meanwhile, following the above development, Government and the security agencies had sufficient leverage to work out the modalities of the swap. These included creating the safe haven, or necessary place of swap and working out the logistic details. Based on this, the DSS availed other critical sister agencies of this new situation. Immediately, the Nigerian Army and the Air Force sent some specialists to commence a detailed arrangement for the swap. This was during the last week of July 2015 and 1st week of August 2015. The officers representing the various agencies worked out the logistic details, such as the number of persons to be swapped i.e. number of girls and detainees to be exchanged, the vehicles and aircraft, as well as safeguards, i.e. safety of the persons, including the location of the swap.

When it was finally agreed by all parties, Mr. President was again informed that the preparations were concluded, and the first step for the swap would commence on 1st August, 2015. Mr. President robustly gave his approval.

On 4th August, 2015, the persons who were to be part of the swap arrangements and all others involved in the operation were transported to Maiduguri, Borno State. This team, with the lead facilitator, continued the contact with the group holding the Chibok girls. The Service was able to further prove to the group its sincerity, as it established communication contact between it and its detained members. All things were in place for the swap which was mutually agreed. Expectations were high. Unfortunately, after more than two (2) weeks of negotiation and bargains, the group, just at the dying moments, issued new set of demands, never bargained for or discussed by the group before the movement to Maiduguri. All this while, the security agencies waited patiently. This development stalled what would have been the first release process of the Chibok girls.

It may be important to note that in spite of this setback, the government and the security agencies have not relented in the bid to ensure that the Chibok girls are released safely. By the month of November, precisely 13th November, 2015, another fresh negotiation process with the group was initiated. This time, there was the need to discuss a fresh component in other to avoid issues that had stalled the former arrangement. There were however some problems that many may not discern, but should be expected in this kind of situation. Some critical persons within the group who played such vital role in August, 2015 were discovered to be dead during combat action or as a result of the emerging rift amongst members of the group then. These two factors delayed the process. In spite of these, negotiation continued on new modalities.

By 30th November, 2015 it was becoming glaring that the division amongst the group was more profound. This affected the swap process. By 10th December, 2015, another negotiation process was in place, but this failed to achieve results because of the varying demands by the group.

Gentlemen of the press, the security agencies since the beginning of 2016 have not only remained committed but have also taken the lead to resolve the Chibok girls’ issue. In spite of the current division amongst members of the terrorist group, which has seriously affected efforts to release the girls, renewed efforts have commenced using our trusted assets and facilitators. However, this job requires diligence and ability to deal with a group that can easily change its demands without notice.

Officers and men have sacrificed their time and energy, and some have already paid the supreme price since the abduction of the Chibok girls, fighting for the safe release of the girls. Many friendly countries and organizations have equally been very forthcoming in providing their human and technological resources to assist in the process. They are still doing so. We cannot as a nation ignore these sacrifices.

The Government and its security agencies remain committed to ensuring that the Chibok girls are safely released in fulfillment of the Presidential mandate. Let me emphasise that Government appreciates the resilience of Nigerians in the fight against insurgency and terrorism, and will continue to call on fellow Nigerians to hold that much is ahead and therefore support Mr. President’s resolve on this matter. I cannot end this without appealing to the parents and relatives of the Chibok girls. We are with you; we feel your pains and shall not relent until we succeed in bringing home our girls and every other citizen abducted by the group. It is important to appeal to all those who have shown concern in resolving this matter to continue to trust the efforts of Government to deal with the situation.

Thank you.”

BBOG To Tackle Buhari At UN Meeting In New York Over Chibok Girls

Posted on September 14, 2016 by Staff Reporter

The Bring Back Our Girls (BBOG) group has said it would protest against the failure of the Federal Government secure the release of the abducted Chibok girls at the United Nations General Assembly meeting in New York City.

The group said it would demand the release of the Chibok girls through a letter it plans to submit to President Muhammadu Buhari at the meeting.

In a notice sent to supporters and journalists, the group said, “On Tuesday, September 13, 2016, the United Nations General Assembly commences in New York. World leaders, including Nigeria’s President Buhari, will be there to discuss various issues plaguing our world, including the global refugee crisis.

“If you are in New York, please join global citizens, as we stand in solidarity with 218#ChibokGirls and thousands more still in Boko Haram captivity on Wednesday, September 14, at 3 p.m., to deliver a letter to President Buhari, to remind him of his campaign promise to#BringBackOurGirls, who have now been in captivity for 882 days.

“Join us as we remind the United Nations and the world that the #ChibokGirls are never to be forgotten. #HopeEndures. Gathering Time: 3 p.m., Location: 828 Second Avenue (2nd and 44th), New York, New York 10017, PLEASE, WEAR RED!”

Credit:

http://leadership.ng/news/550554/bbog-to-tackle-pmb-at-un-meeting-in-new-york-over-chibok-girls

Chibok Girls Swap Not Sign Of Failure – Army

Posted on September 1, 2016 by Staff Reporter

The Nigerian military has again reiterated its commitment to reclaim Sambisa Forest and bring the Boko Haram insurgency to an end.

The military, which stated this through the theatre commander, Operation Lafiya Dole, Major General Lucky Irabor, also noted that the proposed swap deal involving the missing Chibok school girls with some captured Boko Haram members should not be seen as a sign of failure.

Irabor spoke at the 23rd Armoured Brigade Jalo cantonment in Yola on Wednesday after he received operational briefing from the Brigade commander, 23rd Armoured Brigade, Brigadier General Benson Akinroluyo, and other military officers involved in the counter-insurgency operation from the Adamawa axis.

He said Nigerians ought to commend President Muhammadu Buhari for his decision to opt for the negotiated release of the missing schoolgirls held in captivity by the Boko Haram sect.

He said since the president is also the President of the captured insurgents there was nothing wrong if there’s a swap.

He said, “Operative objective of the military in its counter-insurgency operations derives from the President’s statement that the war against insurgency wouldn’t be said to have been won without the rescue of the Chibok girls.

“If in the wisdom of the Commander-in-Chief, he believes that the swap for the release of the Chibok girls is what is best, that doesn’t mean failure. How does this amount to failure. That I captured people who are the leadership of the Boko Haram. You should commend the military for doing that, it is not a failure.”

Boko Haram Ready To Announce Chibok Girls’ Whereabouts In 24hours– Aisha Wakil

Posted on August 31, 2016 by Staff Reporter

One of the individuals who is alleged to have strong connection and vital information on Boko Haram insurgency, Aisha Alkali Wakil, has on Wednesday, revealed that the Boko Haram terrorist group has accepted the peace move and now ready to make announcement on the whereabouts of the abducted chikbok girls in the next 24 hours.

Wakil was one of the individuals earlier declared wanted by the Nigerian Army for concealing information on the whereabouts of the Chibok girls.

Wakil, who spoke through the lawyer with the National Human Rights Commission told the Nation that since her return, she had not rested negotiating on the release of the school girls.

“Since I came back, I have been on their neck.

“They have now agreed to come out and discuss with the government and bring back the girls.

“I am for the Chibok girls and all the captives. They are ready for peace. This is what they told me.

“I think they might post some information on YouTube within 24 hours,” Aisha stated.

Credit:

http://leadership.ng/news/548602/boko-haram-ready-to-announce-chibok-girls-whereabouts-in-24hours-aisha-wakil-reveals

Calls For Buhari’s Resignation Is Condemnable – Group Tells BBOG

Posted on August 30, 2016 by Staff Reporter

The Global Excellence Foundation has berated the #BringBackOurGirls (BBOG) campaigners over call that President Muhammadu Buhari should resign from office if he cannot rescue the Chibok Girls from the dreaded Boko haram insurgents.

Country Representative of the foundation, Prof Yemi Ola, while briefing journalists in Abuja said it is on record that securing the release of the girls from captivity has been a major priority of the President Buhari administration.

He said, “We understand that there is some measure of frustration in the land that the girls are yet to be freed up until this moment and we further appreciate the anguish of parents who had thought their nightmares would have been over by now.

“This anguish has only been further worsened by the video that the terrorists recently released of the girls.”
He however said the call by the BBOG group for President Muhammadu Buhari to resign if he cannot secure the girls’ release is therefore condemnable in the strongest terms possible.

He said such call marks the height of ingratitude to the President, the Nigerian Armed Forces and the families of those of those who lost their loved ones fighting for the rescue and liberation of the north east zone from Boko Haram insurgents.

He said, “It is even more worrisome that BBOG appropriated the identities of parents of the missing girls to make that demand since the parents have already indicated that they would rather not be confrontational with the government and the military that have been doing their best to free the girls.”

He added Nigerians must appeal to BBOG and Ezekwesili not to further take steps that continue to jeopardize the safety of the girls or the possibility of their being rescued, adding that it is also suspect that the group makes it seem like normal to openly discuss the sensitive details of what is being done to rescue the girls.

He therefore suggest that the parents of the Chibok Girls should press ahead with the closed door talks they plan to have with the government devoid of any taint from BBOG, adding that they should concentrate on discussing specifics with government officials and the military so that they can arrive at practical approaches and solutions that will ensure the girls are rescued.

We urge the government to make sure that the confidence the parents have expressed in them is not for nothing. President Buhari must designate officials with strict instructions to sustain an open line of communication with the parents.

“The issue of how to rescue the girls or discussing the progress being made is too sensitive to be discussed at the approach of the Presidential Villa during protests,” he said.

Boko Haram Stalls Prisoner Swap With Abducted Chibok Girls

Posted on August 30, 2016 by Staff Reporter

Fresh facts have emerged on why President Muhammadu Buhari has remained steadfast on his position that the federal government would only negotiate for the release of the abducted Chibok girls with those who are directly holding them.

It has emerged that two recent attempts in recent weeks by the Federal Government for prisoners swap with the so called representative of the terror group may have reached a dead end as each time security officials arrive at designated locations with Boko Haram prisoners for the swap, Boko Haram representatives fail to show up as they are required to produce at least 50 verifiable Chibok girls for the first wave of the swap, security officials say.

Two hundred and seventy six girls were kidnapped from their school dormitory on April 14, 2014, and although 59 were able to escape, one recently, 217 have remained in captivity, sparking global outrage over their abduction.

It was gathered that the federal government had through the Office of the National Security Adviser (ONSA), in conjunction with the Directorate of the State Service (DSS), have in the last two weeks reached back channels agreements with some on the leadership of the sect on the venue, date and other logistics necessary to facilitate the swap of identified Boko Haram prisoners from specific prisons for the Chibok girls.

The source familiar with the back channel deal said at the appointed time and date, when all was set and the identified prisoners were moved to the location slated for the swap, neither the Boko Haram representatives, its commanders nor the Chibok girls were anywhere near the vicinity, prompting the federal government to return the Boko Haram prisoners to their prison cells.

Boko Haram’s inability to deliver the girls, the security source revealed is frustrating the federal government’s efforts to recover the girls.

Given its propensity for reneging on its promise, the source said that the development informed the president’s insistence that, going forward, although the federal government remains open to negotiations with the sect for the release of the Chibok girls, his administration would only contemplate further negotiations with any group within the sect’s bona fide leadership who are in possession of the girls as that would have to provide proof of life, as well as verifiable guarantees through credible 3rd parties, including the Red Cross, that they know the whereabouts of the girls.

It is the same reason, the source added, that Buhari two days ago asked the sect to nominate an internationally recognised non-governmental organisation (NGO) that would negotiate on its behalf for the release of the girls.

Buhari Agrees To Swap Boko Haram Prisoners For Chibok Girls

Posted on August 29, 2016 by Staff Reporter

Nigeria’s President has again renewed his commitment to the rescue of the Chibok girls, saying government will not give up in the search.

Commenting on this via Twitter on Sunday, President Muhammadu Buhari paid glowing tributes to the military for their efforts in the war against insurgency in Nigeria’s northeast.

The President also said he is willing to swap Boko Haram prisoners for the Chibok girls.

But that is on condition that they are able to list those they want released and then come out to discuss with the Federal Government.

He says the Federal Government will want the girls out safe without any harm done to them.

Recently, the Bring Back Our Girls campaigners had called on the President to accept the swap of the Boko Haram prisoners for the Chibok girls who were kidnapped in Borno State two years ago.

The President was in Nairobi, Kenya for the African economic summit which dwells on diversification and advancement of African economies.

Full text of the President’s statement:

Nigeria Ready To Take All Necessary Measures To Free Chibok Girls – President Buhari

President Muhammadu Buhari has reiterated the preparedness of the Federal Government to discuss the release of the Chibok girls kidnapped by Boko Haram terror group since 2014.

In an interview with journalists in Nairobi, Kenya at the weekend, President Buhari said the Nigerian government is ready to dialogue with bonafide leaders of the terror group who know the whereabouts of the girls.

“I have made a couple of comments on the Chibok girls and it seems to me that much of it has been politicised.

“What we said is that the government which I preside over is prepared to talk to bonafide leaders of Boko Haram.

“If they do not want to talk to us directly, let them pick an internationally recognised Non-Governmental Organisation (NGO), convince them that they are holding the girls and that they want Nigeria to release a number of Boko Haram leaders in detention, which they are supposed to know.

“If they do it through the ‘modified leadership’ of Boko Haram and they talk with an internationally recognised NGO, then Nigeria will be prepared to discuss for their release,” he said.

President Buhari, who spoke to the media on the margins of the sixth Tokyo International Conference on African Development (TICAD VI), warned that the Federal Government will not waste time and resources with “doubtful sources” claiming to know the whereabouts of the girls.

“We want those girls out and safe. The faster we can recover them and hand them over to their parents, the better for us.”

The President maintained that the terror group, which pledged allegiance to ISIS, has been largely decimated by the gallant Nigerian military with the support of immediate neighbours from Chad, Cameroon, Niger and Benin.

“Some of the information about the division in Boko Haram is already in the press and I have read in the papers about the conflict in their leadership.

“The person known in Nigeria as their leader, we understand was edged out and the Nigerian members of Boko Haram started turning themselves to the Nigerian military.

“We learnt that in an air strike by the Nigeria Air Force he was wounded. Indeed, their top hierarchy and lower cadre have a problem and we know this because when we came into power, they were holding 14 out of the 774 local governments in Nigeria. But now they are not holding any territory and they have split to small groups attacking soft targets.

On the militancy in the Niger Delta region, the President said the Federal Government is also open to dialogue to resolve all contending issues in the area.

“We do not believe that they (the militants) have announced ceasefire. We are trying to understand them more. Who are their leaders and which areas do they operate and other relevant issues,” he said.

Garba Shehu

SSA to the President (Media & Publicity)

August 28, 2016

We Won’t Relent On Our Pledge To Chibok Girls – Oby Ezekwesili

Posted on August 29, 2016 by Staff Reporter

Co-convener of the #BringBackOurGirls group, Dr Oby Ezekwesili, has said the group had made a pledge to continue to stand for the abducted Chibok Girls, adding that it will not relent on its pledge.

Speaking during the sit-out of the group, Ezekwesili stated that it gave its word to the Chibok community to continue to be the voice of their daughters until they are rescued from their abductors.

“We gave our word to the Chibok leader that knelt in the rain and begged us not to give up on their daughters until they are back. A pledge is a pledge and every pledge is meant to be actualised,” she said.

Meanwhile, the chairperson of the strategy team, Aisha Yesufu has expressed dissatisfaction over President Muhammadu Buhari’s habit of making statement over burning issues in the country, while outside the country.

In a series of tweets, Yesufu stated that it was unfair that the president could not address the parents of the abducted girls when they joined in the march organised by the group.

“Parents were in front of villa and @MBuhari asked police to block them. Tell PMB the world is a global village.

“Tell President @MBuhari to speak to his people. They are the ones that voted him. He can’t be callous to his people!

“Unfortunately they are not in Kenya and can’t read your mind so President @MBuhari be the leader Nigeria needs and act now,” she tweeted.

While addressing the special adviser, Media and Publicity, Garba Shehu, Yesufu told him that he had failed the president in his trust of employing him.

“You should have advised him to talk to Nigerians since,” she said.

Recall that Buhari has reiterated the preparedness of the Federal Government to discuss the release of the Chibok girls kidnapped by Boko Haram terror group since 2014.

In an interview with journalists in Nairobi, Kenya, at the weekend, President Buhari said the Nigerian government was ready to dialogue with bonafide leaders of the terror group who know the whereabouts of the girls.

“I have made a couple of comments on the Chibok girls and it seems to me that much of it has been politicised.

“What we said is that the government which I preside over is prepared to talk to bonafide leaders of Boko Haram,” he said.

Details Of FG’s Readiness To Negotiate Chibok Girls’ Release & Buhari’s Threat To Niger Delta Militants

Posted on August 29, 2016 by Staff Reporter

President Muhammadu Buhari yesterday restated the readiness of his administration to dialogue with the Boko Haram sect for the release of the Chibok schoolgirls who are in captivity.

Buhari, who spoke with journalists in Nairobi where he attended the Sixth Tokyo International Conference of African Development (TICAD VI) at the weekend, said the Nigerian government was ready to dialogue with bona fide leaders of the terror group who know the whereabouts of the girls.

“I have made a couple of comments on the Chibok girls and it seems to me that much of it has been politicised. What we said is that the government which I preside over is prepared to talk to bona fide leaders of Boko Haram. If they do not want to talk to us directly, let them pick an internationally recognised non-governmental organisation, convince them that they are holding the girls and that they want Nigeria to release a number of Boko Haram leaders in detention, which they are supposed to know.

“If they do it through the ‘modified leadership’ of Boko Haram and they talk with an internationally recognised NGO, then Nigeria will be prepared to discuss their release,” he said.

Buhari, who spoke on the sidelines of the conference, warned that the Federal Government would not waste resources on “doubtful sources claiming to know the whereabouts of the girls. We want those girls out and safe. The faster we can recover them and hand them over to their parents, the better for us.’’

The president maintained that the terror group, which pledged allegiance to ISIS, has been largely decimated by the gallant Nigerian military with the support of immediate neighbours: Chad, Cameroun, Niger and Benin.

While the president waved an olive branch for the militants in the Niger Delta to sheath their swords and embrace ongoing efforts to dialogue, he said the government would not hesitate to crush them the way it did to the Boko Haram insurgents in the North East.

Buhari’s warning of the militants came against the backdrop of reports of disagreements among leaders and elders from the zone, which the president observed has made discussions impossible for the government.

‘‘We do not believe that they (the militants) have announced ceasefire. We are trying to understand them more. Who are their leaders and which areas do they operate? We also need to understand other relevant issues,’’ he said.

Also speaking at a bilateral meeting with Japanese Prime Minister, Shinzo Abe, on the sidelines of the conference, Buhari outlined several steps taken by his administration to secure the country and ease doing business in Nigeria, noting that with the defeat of the Boko Haram terrorists by the military, the attention of the administration is now focused on putting an end to the destruction of the country’s economic assets by militants in the Niger Delta.

He said the militants must dialogue with the Federal government. “We are talking to some of their leaders. We will deal with them as we dealt with Boko Haram if they refuse to talk to us.”

But efforts by leaders of the oil-rich region to raise a team to dialogue with the Federal Government is being undermined by the split in the leadership into the camps of Chief Edwin Kiagbodo Clark and King Alfred Diette-Spiff .

Apparently miffed by an agreement reached at the weekend by the Movement for Emancipation of Niger Delta (MEND), Clark and the Minister of State for Petroleum, Dr. Ibe Kachikwu, some militant groups, comprising Reformed Egbesu Fraternities, Egbesu Boys of the Niger Delta, Red Water Lions, Egbesu Mightier Fraternity and the Sea Commandoes yesterday lampooned Clark, insisting he can’t lead the pan-Niger Delta development group.

They claimed that during the meeting with the minister, Clark “attacked” their representatives, including monarchs drawn from all the Niger Delta states, elders and youth leaders, and barred them from airing their views.

Credit:

http://guardian.ng/news/federal-government-ready-to-negotiate-release-of-chibok-girls-says-buhari/

Nigeria Won’t Be Able To Bring Back All Kidnapped Chibok Girls – ISS

Posted on August 23, 2016 by Staff Reporter

A continental think tank, the Institute for Security Studies (ISS), has said that the issue of the missing Chibok girls in Nigeria continues to be a litmus test for the President Muhammadu Buhari’s government, with the world watching to see whether the 275 girls would be rescued.

Speaking during an interview, ISS’s senior researcher Martin Ewi said Buhari’s government was under pressure to find a solution.

“There is no empirical evidence regarding where these girls are. All we have is speculative and very scanty intelligence on where they might be. We also have media reports that cannot be substantive.

“Some in northern Nigeria say they could be in the Sambisa forest or that they could have been hidden in tunnels that were dug by Boko Haram militants. So with all these speculations, it’s difficult for the intelligence, which uses drones and other equipment to detect their whereabouts,” Ewi said.

No substantial intelligence

Boko Haram last week released a video of the girls allegedly abducted from Chibok in April 2014, showing some were still alive and claiming that others had been killed in air strikes.

The video was the latest release from the embattled Boko Haram leader Abubakar Shekau, who earlier this month denied claims that he had been replaced as the leader of the jihadist group.

“They should know that their children are still in our hands,” said a man, whose face was covered by a turban, in the video posted on YouTube.

Reports on Monday, however, indicated that the Nigerian Air Force had confirmed it had no substantial intelligence on the location of the missing girls.

Chief of Air Staff Air Marshall Sadique Abubakar said that there was no concrete intelligence on the missing girls, dismissing the video as “cheap propaganda” by the extremist organisation.

“Honestly, we don’t. That is the truth of the matter. Even if you see women that are dressed in hijab, how are you sure they are women, that they are not men… There is no credible intelligence that will specifically tell you that the girls are here,” Abubakar was quoted as saying.

The honest truth

Ewi said that it was highly unlikely that Nigeria would be able to bring all the kidnapped girls to Chibok.

“We will never get all the girls. That’s the honest truth we have to live with. It has taken too long and the longer it takes, the lesser the chances of locating them. It would be surprising if the girls are still in one place.

“The chances are very slim. Some of them have probably been married off to other Boko Haram militants in Cameroon and Chad, as reports have indicated in the past,” said Ewi.

He said it would a big breakthrough for the government if the girls were found, but otherwise “for now, it remains an embarrassment for Buhari to keep saying his government would be able to locate them when in actually fact nothing tangible has been done”.

Don’t Swap Chibok Girls With Boko Haram Detainees – UK-Based Activist Advises Buhari

Posted on August 22, 2016 by Staff Reporter

President Muhammadu Buhari has been advised by a United Kingdom based Nigerian activist, Philip Agbese, to overlook the offer to swap the abducted Chibok schoolgirls with Boko Haram prisoners, adding that there is every chance that Nigeria will be reintegrating nothing less than 300 terrorists into the society by giving in to such call.

He added that such move will put the country in high security risk.

Agbese said it would be wise to consider the damage the released detainees will do to the country.

The activist said the move will be harmful to Nigeria, the entire West African region and some will spill over to Central and East Africa.

His words, “The ongoing orchestra that is whining for terrorists considers everything with the exception of one. Recidivism.”

“These groups and individuals that have been canvassing a swop of Boko Haram prisoners for the abducted Chibok Girls do so without regards for the penchant for recidivism among terrorists like any other type of criminals.”

“Recidivism is the chances of a previously arrested, detained or convicted terrorist returning to extremism or violence.

“Military records would probably show that some of these people we are being asked to free are in incarceration because it was not their first time of being tied to terror.

“Mr President, recidivism is difficult to measure, particularly so in a country like Nigeria where we are still working to bring our statistics and research capabilities up to date.

“Instead, the reality is there is the risk of them returning to the war front to re-stock Boko Haram’s fighting ranks.”

We Are Not Sure Chibok Girls Are In Sambisa- Air chief

Posted on August 22, 2016 by Staff Reporter

The Chief of Air Staff, Air Marshal Sadique Abubakar, says the Nigerian Air Force has no intelligence on whether the Chibok girls are in Sambisa Forest or not.

Abubakar, who spoke during an interactive session with journalists in Abuja on Saturday, however, said the NAF was working round the clock to rescue the girls and other Nigerians abducted by Boko Haram.

The NAF chief also commented on the operation of the force in the South-South, saying the air force would not bomb Niger Delta.

When Abubakar was asked if the air force had any intelligence on whether Chibok girls were in the Sambisa Forest or not, he said, “Honestly we don’t. That is the truth of the matter. Even if you see women that are dressed in hijab, how are you sure they are women; that they are not men? It is only when you get there and they remove the hijab that you now realise that they are men and they have their rifles.

“There is no credible intelligence that will specifically tell you that these girls are here.”

He said the air force flew its planes daily with the hope of sighting the Chibok girls, adding that the military, like other Nigerians, was passionate about them.

He said about 50 per cent of the NAF flying missions in counter-insurgency operations were devoted to Intelligence Surveillance Reconnaissance.

According to him, the ISR is aimed at rescuing the Chibok girls and other Nigerians abducted by the sect.

He said, “There is no day that the sun rises and sets that we do not go out hoping to see these girls. From January this year to August 17, we flew 2,600 hours. About 50 per cent of that was Intelligence Surveillance Reconnaissance.

“We are hoping that through the intelligence, we will be able to capture the movement of those girls; we will be able to locate what we consider legitimate targets.”

He dismissed the latest Boko Haram video, where the sect displayed some girls, which it claimed were killed by military bombardment, as cheap propaganda.

Abubakar explained that there was no way bodies of people killed by bombardment could be intact as shown in the video.

http://punchng.com/arent-sure-chibok-girls-sambisa-forest-air-chief/

Chibok Girls: Army Transfer Aisha Wakil To DSS

Posted on August 18, 2016 by Staff Reporter

The Nigerian Army has handed one of the three persons it declared wanted, Aisha Wakil, a lawyer, to the Department of State Security (DSS) after interrogation at a military facility for about four hours.

It was gathered that the self proclaimed friend of the Boko Haram terrorist group who said she had access to its members and was willing to facilitate a negotiation with the group with regards to the fate of the abducted Chibok girls, wrote a statement after the interrogation before she was transferred to DSS on Wednesday.

Recall that Aisha Wakil was declared wanted along with a Dubai-based Nigerian journalist, Ahmad Salkida and Ahmed Bolori over claims that they were privy to videos being released by Boko Haram and had knowledge of whereabouts of missing Chibok girls.

It was not clear why Wakil who voluntarily submitted herself to the Army authorities was handed over to the DSS but a source hinted that it was for further investigation as she could prove useful in getting to the root of the Chibok girls debacle.

Before submitting herself to the military authorities, Wakil had complained in the post internet thus “Aisha Wakil to @HQNigerian Army. You are out for mischief. Yes I have links with Boko Haram and you have always known that”.

http://www.vanguardngr.com/2016/08/chibok-girls-army-transfers-aisha-wakil-dss/

Nigeria Army’s Three Wanted Friends, By Gimba Kakanda

Posted on August 18, 2016 by Staff Reporter

Ahmad-Salkida

Last week, the Army declared three people it suspected of having “links with the Boko Haram” wanted and this became a subject of intense debates especially as the trio—Mr. Ahmed Umar Bolori, Mr. Ahmad Salkida and Ms. Aisha Alkali Wakil—promptly expressed their shock. The military institution, they wrote, knew them and how to contact them yet they hadn’t been informed or invited in any way before the public notice.

On Facebook, not long after the declaration went viral in the online media, stirring up divisive interactions on social media, Ahmed Bolori published a screenshot of his SMS correspondence with a top military officer. “Salam General,” read the text. “This is Amb Ahmed Umar Bolori. I got the news that I and other 2 are declared wanted (sic). I’m bringing myself. Where do I come to? Thanks.”

The General asked him to report to “Provost Marshal Army (sic)”. His next Facebook updates, later that day and the following day, was of his 10 AM appointment and struggles to be attended to by the Army. It’s amusing that someone declared wanted, purportedly a threat to national security, was literally pleading to have an audience with his supposed hunters.

Ms. Wakil released a statement to confirm her relationship with the security agencies, and that she had had meetings with the Chief of Army Staff and had even given the Army conditions for her involvement in any dialogue between the terrorist group and the Federal government. “(T)hey know where to find me,” she wrote in her own expression of shock at her declaration as wanted person, and then “but wonder why I had to be declared wanted on national news even mentioning my husband’s name alongside (sic).”

The most popular of them is the journalist Ahmad Salkida who, for fear of his safety, has long been in exile. Salkida had reported extensively on the activities of the terrorist cult, being a witness to their emergence and evolution into the nation’s deadliest group. Some of the nation’s exclusive reports and breaking news on the Boko Haram were presented to us by Salkida. His publication of the Boko Haram’s video of the abducted girls of Chibok instigated the hunt.

Writing from his Dubai base, Salkida noted his contributions to reporting terrorism in Nigeria. “Clearly, my status as a Nigerian journalist who has reported extensively, painstakingly and consistently on the Boko Haram menace in the country since 2006 is an open book known to Nigerians and the international community,” he stated.

This got us to the obvious question: why declaring citizens who weren’t on the run wanted? What’s wrong with an invitation being sent first before, if declined, publishing such damaging notice about people who were previously not tried for a crime in question? This and similar unprofessional conduct by our security agencies are piling up, day by day, and it was the same recklessness that got the EFCC operatives going after the blogger Abusidiq without notice. They are yet to even publish what exactly he did wrong. The risk of declaring somebody wanted without any established evidence of his culpability or invitation to hear from him or her one-on-one is grave in a country where jungle justice is an everyday tragedy. I’m sure the Army itself is aware of this, and yet it went ahead. Somehow, it has succeeded in putting the lives of these people in danger, and somehow a misinformed mob might spot them and move to lynch them in their own understanding of patriotism. All for a “crime” yet to be determined.

Our security agencies need to restore professionalism in their dealings with civilians. Showmanship seems to stimulate them, but obsession with this approach to crime prevention and control will only embarrass them and ridicule what they stand for. The two home-based citizens have already submitted themselves to the military, and inferring from the Channels TV interview of the Spokesman of Defence Headquarters, Colonel Rabe Abubakar, the declaration was hasty and misleading.

“Declaring them wanted was not our intention,” he was reported to have said on Channels TV. “We are inviting them to come and shed more light on Boko Haram so that collectively we can achieve the desired goal.”

This is the essence of civic vigilance. But this retraction isn’t enough. Their hurriedly prepared and dispatched blunder has already jeopardised the lives and prospects of these people. What’s expected is a clarification through the very medium it employs in damaging the trio. Seeking partnership, which is what the spokesman means by “collectively” by declaring your would-be partners wanted is akin to publicly harassing a woman and then asking for her hand in marriage.

One is tempted to agree with the conspiracy theory drawn by the popular public affairs analyst, Dr. Aliyu U. Tilde. He sought to see a link between the media trial of Ahmad Salkida and General Tukur Buratai’s Dubai property scandals. When the Army said the Boko Haram were responsible for the leaks of Buratai’s ownership of properties in Dubai, he pointed out that the convenient inference was Salkida would be roped into it. May God save us from us!

By Gimba Kakanda
@gimbakakanda on Twitter

We Can’t Swap Terrorists For Chibok Girls – Army

Posted on August 16, 2016 by Staff Reporter

The Chief of Defence Staff, General Abayomi Olonishakin, said, yesterday, that the business of swapping abducted Chibok schoolgirls for Boko Haram insurgents was not that of the military, vowing that operations against the sect would continue.Chibok-new The defence chief’s declaration came against the backdrop of the sect’s demand in a new video, Sunday, that the federal government swapped its members detained at detention centres across the country for the girls, who had been kidnapped since April 14, 2014. It also vowed that the over 200 girls would not be released until the federal government set free its fighters held in Lagos, Maiduguri, Abuja and other parts of the country.

This development came as the three persons declared wanted by the military, in connection with the new Boko Haram video, yesterday, said they were ready to make themselves available. General Olonishakin, who spoke at a meeting with service chiefs at the Presidential Villa, Abuja, said the decision to swap the girls for the sect members was a political one which was not the business of the military. “The military decision is that we are going ahead with our operations.

The operation is being conducted appropriately,” he said. He also denied that the military had turned away any of the three persons it declared wanted on Sunday on allegation of having ties to the sect, saying “nobody reported to my men and was turned back.” Olonishakin said the military was still analysing the video released by the sect and would make appropriate comments at the right time. Information Minister, Lai Mohammed, who also spoke at the Villa, yesterday, said the government was in talks with the Boko Haram sect for the release of the girls.

He said the government was careful to ensure it was speaking with the right group as the sect had been factionalised. “The government’s position is clear, that we are in touch with them. We are just being careful and cautious to ensure that we are talking to the right people, especially with the news that there is a split in the leadership. But what is important is the safety and security of these girls,” Mohammed said. On the planned march by the BringBackOurGirls to Aso Rock presidential villa, the minister said the government appreciated the group’s commitment to the return of the girls but noted that a few things needed to be done behind the scene. He said: What we are saying is that the government is committed to do everything to rescue these girls. “We are engaging them.

By saying we are talking to them, I am talking from a point of knowledge. It does not matter what other people say. I know that the government is in touch with the group.” He said the government had not relented on efforts to find and recover the girls. “For us, it is not just because of the release of the video but because of our belief that there will be no final closure to Boko Haram until we are able to resolve the issue of these girls,” the minister said.

However, barely a day after being declared wanted by the Federal Government for alleged association with Boko Haram terrorists, Ahmad Salkida has said he should be commended for making sacrifice to free the Chibok girls rather than being labelled an accomplice.

The Nigerian journalist, who was declared wanted, along with two others, Ahmed Bolori and Aisha Wakil, by the Nigerian Army over Boko Haram’s latest video, said, yesterday, that he was ready to return to Nigeria to meet with the Nigerian Army on the condition that it funded his trip. Salkida has been living in the Middle East since the outbreak of the Boko Haram crisis and is believed to have said he had commenced preparations to return to country to honour the invitation.

Salkida said in a statement that the Army was aware that he was not in the country at the time he was declared wanted, apparently faulting the tag on him. He said: “The Army is aware that I am not in Nigeria at present. In the coming days, I will seek to get a flight to Abuja and avail myself to the Army authorities. Indeed, my return will be hastened if the military sends me a ticket.”

Salkida wondered why the army declared him wanted for simply carrying out his job as a journalist, saying he did his work in strict compliance with professionalism. “Clearly, my status as a Nigerian journalist, who has reported extensively, painstakingly and consistently on the Boko Haram menace in the country since 2006, is an open book known to Nigerians and the international community. “As a testimony to the credible and professional values of my access, since May, 2015, l have been to Nigeria three times on the invitation of Federal Government agencies. I made personal sacrifices for the release of our Chibok daughters,” Salkida said.

The journalist is one of the persons who had been having negotiations with the Federal Government over the release of the Chibok girls. A Nigerian senator last year, described Salkida as one of the most reliable persons who could help the federal government free the girls because of his credibility and respect among the terrorists. Wanted Bolori returns to army barracks in Maiduguri Similarly, another person wanted by the military for the same reason, Ahmed Bolori, who had turned himself in on Sunday evening but was allegedly asked to go back home without questioning, returned to the army barracks, yesterday.

Ahmed Bolori Ahmed Bolori Bolori, who continued to update his visit to the military barracks he was asked to submit himself, wrote on his Facebook page: “I have signed the visitors register since and I am still waiting to be taken in. Although, the Army guard doesn’t have airtime to contact his heads.” This was at about 10:00am yesterday. An hour later, he posted another photo saying: “Finally, I am driving into the Army Operation Headquarters now.” Some 20 minutes later, he posted another picture, saying “the Army is now treating me well and peacefully, as a nice colonel by the name ‘Ahmed’ (a military police), just took me to his office to drink tea. May God help us!” The Chief of General Staff, General Olonishakin, however, dismissed such visit, saying none of those declared wanted had reported to the military.

The third, Aisha Wakil, a lawyer, was at the Defence Headquarters in Abuja, yesterday, to submit herself to military authorities. Wakil said she was immediately taken in for interrogation as soon as she arrived at the Defence Headquarters. She said the front desk officers asked her what she wanted and she told them she was declared wanted Sunday. But the officers said they were not aware of such and she asked them to read the newspapers online. “They told me they will go and read and get back to me,” Mrs. Wakil said.

Spokesman of the Nigerian Army, Sani Usman, confirmed yesterday, that Mrs. Wakil had submitted herself. “I have been reliably informed that she has reported at the Defence Headquarters and she has been directed to the Directorate of Military Intelligence,” Mr. Usman said.

Meanwhile, the U.S. Government has promised to send officials from its Federal Bureau of Investigation, FBI, and other security experts to provide technical assistance to the federal government to deal with terrorism. Acting Deputy Chief of Mission, U.S. Embassy, Alan Tousignant, disclosed this, yesterday, in Abuja, when he led a security delegation on a courtesy visit to the Minister of Interior, Abdulrahman Dambazau. The envoy said the delegation, which comprised a team of the U.S Security Governance Initiative, was in the country as a follow-up to its earlier visit in January.

The SGI is an initiative of the U.S. government that offers enhanced security technical assistance to six African countries, including Nigeria. Tousignant said they were in Nigeria at the request of the Federal Government to provide a holistic security technical assistance and not to donate any equipment. He explained that the federal government identified three major areas of partnership to include enhancing the Ministry of Interior’s emergency response coordination, Ministry of Defence’s procurement procedure and the civilian security planning for the North-East.

He said the week-long interaction between the SGI team and the Nigerian security agencies would fashion out a robust roadmap to ensure better efficiency, transparency and justice in Nigeria’s security architecture. The Team leader, SGI, Stephen Nolan, said both countries were working to finalise and implement a Joint Country Action Plan, JCAP, which was a document that outlined a roadmap for a successful partnership. He said the JCAP emphasised partnership and finding Nigerian solution to its security challenges, and not about what the U.S was doing for Nigeria.

Mr. Nolan, however, assured that the forthcoming elections in the U.S and the change of government in January 2017 would not affect the project as they had been working hard to ensure its sustenance. “I want to assure you that we have been working for the continuity and sustainability of this project, even after the Obama administration in January, 2017,” he said. Mr. Dambazau, in his remarks, said the partnership would involve all security agencies and not just those of the Ministry of Interior to fashion out a holistic security roadmap to deal with terrorism and other crimes.

The minister said the meeting was in tandem with President Muhammadu Buhari’s agenda to address security, corruption and the economy of the country in line with international best practice.

“Send Me An Air Ticket And I’ll Return To Nigeria Quickly” – Salkida Replies Army

Posted on August 15, 2016 by Staff Reporter

Without first inviting him, the Nigerian Army on Sunday declared a journalist, Ahmad Salkida, wanted. Salkida’s response: I will be come to Nigeria soon and it will be faster if you send me air ticket.

Salkida said his allegiance as a journalist lies with Nigeria and his professional journalism work. He said he has sacrificed a lot to ensure the girls are released.

“My attention has been drawn to a public notice put out by the Nigerian Army and signed by Col. Sani Kukasheka Usman, Acting Director, Army Public Relations,” he said.

The statement declaring me wanted seeks culpable grounds to punish me on account of ‘last two videos released by Boko Haram terrorists and other findings…’ by the Army.

“Clearly, my status as a Nigerian journalist who has reported extensively, painstakingly and consistently on the Boko Haram menace in the country since 2006 is an open book known to Nigerians and the international community.”

“Equally, my total allegiance and sacrifice to the Federal Republic of Nigeria is self evident. I have stayed within the creed of professional journalism in my work.”

Salkida said he had been to Nigeria three times on the invitation of the federal government to help in the recovery of the Chibok schoolgirls.

“As a testimony to the credible and professional values of my access, since May 2015, l have been to Nigeria three times on the invitation of Federal Government agencies. I made personal sacrifices for the release of our Chibok daughters.

“Finally, the Army is aware that I am not in Nigeria presently. In the coming days I will seek to get a flight to Abuja and avail myself to the Army authorities. Indeed, my return will be hastened if the Military sends me a ticket.”

Boko Haram Releases Video Showing Chibok Girls Allegedly Killed By Army Airstrikes.

Posted on August 14, 2016 by Staff Reporter

Jama.atu ahlis sunnah lidda awati wal jihad otherwise known as Boko Haram has released a fresh video of the female students of Government Girls Secondary School, Chibok, abducted more than 2 years ago.

The Youtube video posted on twitter by Ahmed Salkida, a journalist who has reported extensively on the Boko Haram group shows the Chibok girls dressed in hijab.

“This is the second time Shekau has ordered a video of the girls to be released to the public, since the abduction of the girls 852 days ago,” Salkida said via his twitter account.

He said a Chibok girl spoke in her mother tongue and narrated how many of the girls, dozens of them have been killed in airstrikes.

The Nigerian army in its bid to flush out the sect has in the past one year launched series of airstrikes on the hideouts of the group.

He also added that the video shows “horrifying images of some of the #Chibokgirls alleged to have been killed by airstrikes.”

Watch the video below:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ozAG1ZalRpU

We Still Await Committee On Chibok Girls’ Abduction- Community

Posted on August 9, 2016 by Staff Reporter

Indigenes of Chibok community under the aegis of Kibaku Area Development Association (KADA) have called on President Muhammadu Buhari to fulfil his promise of setting up a committee that will investigate the abduction of the Chibok school girls on April 14, 2014.

While briefing the press, the chairman of the association, Tsambido Hosea-Abana stated that during the community’s visit to the president, on July 8, 2015, he had promised to set up a committee to unravel the circumstances surrounding the abduction of the girls adding that the committee was yet to be set up for over a year after.

Hosea-Abana added that the investigative committee will help to avoid a repeat of such ugly occurrences in the community or anywhere else in the country and to resolve once and for all the unanswered questions surrounding the abduction.

“On January 14, 2016, the Chibok Community along with the parents, Bring Back Our Girls (BBOG) group and others paid visit to Mr. President to re-engage with him after the first meeting of July 8, 2015.

“We were elated by promises he made to us. One of these is that an investigation committee was to be set up to unravel the circumstances surrounding the abduction of the girls.

“We the affected community felt and believed that this will finally create the opportunity to unravel the mystery surrounding the abduction for two main reasons; to avoid a repeat of such ugly occurrences in the community or elsewhere; and to resolve once and for all the unanswered questions surrounding the abduction.

“We are still awaiting the constitution of the committee and we assure the Presidency that we shall render all assistance and cooperation the committee needs from us towards achieving its objectives,” it said.

http://www.leadership.ng/chibokgirls/545209/we-still-await-committee-on-chibok-girls-abduction-community

Army Confirms Rescue Of One Of Chibok Girls

Posted on May 18, 2016 by Staff Reporter

The Nigerian Army on Wednesday confirmed the rescue of one of the Chibok school girls abducted in 2014 by the Boko Haram insurgents in Borno.

This is contained in a statement issued by the acting Army spokesman, Col. Sani Usman.

According to Usman, the girl, Falmata Mbalala, is among other persons rescued by troops at Baale community near Damboa in Borno.

He, however, did not state when the girl and other hostages were rescued by the troops.

“This is to confirm that one of the abducted chibok school girls, Falmata Mbalala, was among the rescued persons by our troops at Baale near Damboa,’’ the statement quoted Usman as saying.

On the ongoing special operation inside the Sambisa forest, Usman said troops of 7 Division on Tuesday cleared Boko Haram terrorists out of their Njimia camp in Sambisa.

He said the troops had earlier on the same day killed 15 insurgents during an operation to clear their camp located at Alafa area of the forest.

According to Usman, the troops continued their advance through Alafa main, Alafa extension and Alafa Yaga-yaga and cleared Boko Haram terrorists hiding in the area.

He said apart from destroying the camps, the troops rescued 41 hostages who were mostly women and children.

Usman added that the troops also recovered two Dane guns, several vehicles, motorcycles and bicycles belonging to the terrorists.

“One significant aspect of this feat today was the combination of ground forces assault, Nigerian Air Force Jets provision for combat air support and monitoring of the operation.

“The operation was directly supervised by the Acting General Officer Commanding 7 Division, Brig.-Gen. Victor Ezugwu on board Air Force reconnaissance aircraft.

“It is gratifying to note that no casualty was recorded by own troops through the conduct of this operation,’’ the statement said.

(NAN)

Buhari Losing Track Of Promises To Rescue Chibok Girls- BBOG

Posted on May 16, 2016 by Staff Reporter

Conveners of the Bring Back Our Girls campaign group have accused President Muhammadu Buhari-led administration of losing sight of promises it made to rescue over 219 Chibok girls who are still in Boko Haram’s captivity.

In a press statement co-signed by Oby Ezekwesili and Aisha Yesufu over the weekend, they said it is unfortunate that the Chibok Girls, their parents and communities, Nigeria and the rest of the world are still awaiting a successful rescue mission 762 days after the Chibok abduction.

According to them, recent developments seem to suggest that officials of the present administration may have lost track of many promises of the government.

“With the disgraceful and unpalatable shoddiness that characterized the handling of the abduction and counter-insurgency war by the Goodluck Jonathan-led administration still fresh in mind, President Buhari’s team cannot afford to drop the ball again,” the statement read in part.

The group urged the Federal Government to initiate a fresh investigation into the abduction as promised by President Muhammadu Buhari.

It also called for the release of the Sabo report, which is expected to hold the keys to unlocking the mystery of the abduction.

The converners also want the Presidency to strengthen the office of the Special Adviser on Social Investments to cover humanitarian interventions and development programs in the Northeast and the country at large.

Credit: dailytrust

Chibok Girls: Service Chiefs Absent At Senate Meeting

Posted on April 21, 2016 by Staff Reporter

The National Security Adviser (NSA) and other Service Chiefs invited to brief the Senate on their efforts to rescue the abducted Chibok girls failed to honour the invitation on Wednesday.

Only the Inspector-General of Police (IGP), Mr. Solomon Arase and the Director-General of the Department of State Security (DSS), Mr. Lawal Daura, attended the briefing.

No explanation was given for the absence of the Service Chiefs at the end of the session.

Deputy Senate President, Senator Ike Ekweremadu, presided over the session.

The DG, DSS and the IGP were said to have briefed the lawmakers on efforts being made to rescue the abducted Chibok girls who had been in captivity for over two years.

After the closed session, Ekweremadu announced: “The Senate was briefed by the Director-General, State Security Service and the Inspector General of Police on the abduction of the Chibok school girls and efforts to rescue them in the last two years.

“We urged them to continue and should leave no stone unturned to achieve the rescue of the Chibok girls.

“Thereafter they answered questions bothering on topical national security issues from very distinguished senators.”

The Senate had last Thursday invited the Service Chiefs to brief it on efforts at rescuing the Chibok girls.

This followed a motion by Senator Dino Melaye on the issue.

Credit: Nation

Boko Haram Offering Different Groups Of Chibok Girls For Ransom- Report

Posted on April 15, 2016 by Staff Reporter

Following the broadcast of the proof of life video showing 15 of the abducted Chibok girls by US cable news network, CNN on Wednesday, it has been confirmed that the 219 girls who were kidnapped from their secondary school in Chibok, Borno State, exactly two years ago have been broken up into groups and are being offered by different Boko Haram cells to federal government negotiators in exchange for huge sums of money.
Their abduction sparked a social media campaign and global outrage which drew attention to the horror of the six-year-old insurgency in the Northeast.

However, the release of the video has added pressure on the federal government to secure their release, with President Muhammadu Buhari promising the parents and relations of the missing girls yesterday that they will be rescued and returned to them.

Sources in the intelligence agencies yesterday said that they were aware of the negotiations with the Islamist terror group, which have been stalled due to the ransoms demanded by different Boko Haram cells for the release of the girls in their possession.

One senior intelligence source said that in the course of negotiations for the girls’ release, one cell asked for $50 million in exchange for the 15 girls shown in the video on Wednesday, prompting the recording last December by the Boko Haram cell to show that the girls were still alive.
“Then yet another group offered another 10 girls for over 1 million euros, reinforcing intelligence reports that they had been broken up and dispersed to different cells,” he said.

He explained that the large ransoms demanded by different cells of Boko Haram further confirmed the federal government’s position that the terror group had been significantly degraded and has its back against the wall, hence the astronomical demands for money in exchange for the girls.

The source added, however, that the federal government has refused to yield to the demands of the different cells, insisting that all 219 girls must be released at the same time.

He said the government was also against paying any form of ransom for their release, as the monies could be used by Boko Haram, which has been declared the deadliest extremist sect in the world, to rearm and continue their reign of violence and wanton killings in its bid to carve out a caliphate in the Northeast.

“The group is deadly, cannot be trusted and is led by maniacal leaders. As such, the federal government has refused to yield to the demands of the cells. Their supply channels have more or less been cut off, so paying them such huge amounts for a handful of girls will only be giving them the ammunition to rearm and continue the deadly destruction and mayhem in the north,” he said.

Credit:Thisday

I Share Your Pains, Buhari Tells Chibok Girls’ Parents

Posted on April 14, 2016 by Staff Reporter

On the second anniversary of the abduction of Chibok school girls, President Muhammadu Buhari has said he understands the trauma, parents of the school girls were going through, saying, he shares in their pains and will spare no effort to ensure the safe return of the girls. In a statement by his media aide, Mallam Garba Shehu, Thursday, to mark the second anniversary of their abduction, the President stated that with the intensified efforts of both his government and the armed forces, the girls would be rescued and returned home. The statement read in part:

“On the second anniversary of the kidnap of the girls, President Buhari affirms that, as a parent and leader of the country, he understands the torment, frustration and anxiety of the parents and will not spare any effort to ensure the safe return of the girls.

“The President continues to believe that with the total commitment of the Federal Government, Nigerian Armed Forces and security agencies, and the support of the international community, the girls will be eventually rescued.

“President Buhari notes that thousands of persons, mostly women and children, who were kidnapped by Boko Haram, have already been rescued and reunited with their families. He shares the hope of the parents that the Chibok girls will ultimately be rescued and reunited with their families as well.

“The President assures the parents that the Federal Government and security agencies will continue to explore all possible options for the safe return of the girls.

“President Buhari urges the parents to continue to exercise patience and understanding as the government works diligently to ensure that the girls return home unharmed.

“The President thanks all Nigerians, religious and civil organizations, and the international community for their continued sympathy, support and prayers for the return of the Chibok girls.”

Credit: vanguardngr

New Chibok Girls Video ‘Concocted’ Propaganda Tool- Military

Posted on April 14, 2016 by Staff Reporter

The Nigerian military has branded the latest video by Boko Haram terrorists allegedly showing healthy-looking Chibok girls as propaganda by the terrorists to divert attention from the ongoing rescue operations.

The Director of Defence Information (DDI), Brig-Gen. Rabe Abubakar (rtd), while responding to injuries on Thursday, said that the military cannot authenticate the new video.

Abubakar said that it is the terrorists antics, which he vowed, will not derail the ongoing military operations and efforts to clear all parts of the North East of Boko Haram remnants.

He said: “In as much as we saw the menus, we cannot authentic the video. Listen, all these things are campaign. In as much as we saw the so called video, it has nothing to do with our own activities, even though we are sympathetic to the plight of our sisters and brothers with the ungodly group.

“In as much as we have seen the video, it has not nothing to do with our operations. In this era of social media, anytime can happen. It can be concocted because in this era of social mega, anytime can happen, so people should not carried away.”

Credit: Thisday

Chibok Girls In ‘Proof Of Life’ Video

Posted on April 14, 2016 by Staff Reporter

An indication that the Chibok girls kidnapped from their school on April 14, 2014 were still alive has been given in a video which showed 15 of the more than 200 girls abducted by Boko Haram.

The video sent to government negotiators by the captors showed the girls wearing black hijabs in an unspecified location, stating their names, that they were taken from Chibok and the date of the recording.

The video, the first concrete indication that at least some of the girls were still alive since a previous video released publicly by Boko Haram in May 2014, was coming two years after the girls were kidnapped.

They were identified by two mothers of the 219 schoolgirls still missing. Another mother shown the video broke into tears because her daughter was not among the fifteen girls in the video.

All three, however, identified all the girls, as did a classmate, who was at home on the day of the kidnapping.

In the video, each of the fifteen girls calmly stated her name and that she was kidnapped from Chibok Government Secondary School.

At the end of the clip, a girl identified as Naomi Zakaria, made an apparently scripted appeal to whoever is watching, urging the Nigerian authorities to help reunite the girls with their families.

“I am speaking on 25 December 2015, on behalf of the all the Chibok girls and we are all well,” Naomi said. Though it is unclear if the video was recorded on the stated date, but the date embedded in the video matched the date stated by Naomi, a CNN report said.

Though it was unclear if the video was recorded on the stated date, but the date embedded in the video matched the date stated by Naomi, a CNN report said.

However, Minister of Information and Culture, Lai Mohammed, told CNN the girls in the video appeared “under no stress whatsoever” and there had been “little transformation in their physical appearance”.

But he declined to comment directly on the state of talks with Boko Haram, which has previously said it would release the girls only in exchange for captured fighters in Nigerian prisons.

Credit: Guardian

Chibok Girls Will Be Found Soon- Shettima

Posted on April 13, 2016 by Staff Reporter

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The governor of Borno State, Kashim Shettima disclosed Tuesday that the 276 Chibok girls who were abducted on April 14th 2014 will soon be united with their families.

Shettima disclosed this during a visit to the National Emergency Management Agency NEMA in Abuja, stating that based on the information at his disposal the Chibok girls are still alive.

He said, “I am an optimist, and based on the information at our disposal the Chibok girls are still alive and will be united with their families soon, we are hopeful that the girls will be recovered.

He said, “Though security falls within the area of responsibility of the federal government, the government is doing all it can not only to rescue the girls but to care for the well-being of the generality of the people. We have started rebuilding most of the communities; we are determined to rebuild all.

“The military has been doing so much in the past week, which led to the influx of IDPs to our camps, presently because of the successes by the military we have over 75000 IDPs in Zifar, 28,000 in Bama, 38000 in Banki town, 27000 in Polka, right now there is an inflow of 2,300 people to Gusa today which necessitated the visit to NEMA to solicit for the usual assistance.

“As a state government we are doing our best, but NEMA has been our partner in taking care of the IDPs for the past one to two years. Within the Maiduguri metropolis alone, apart from the IDPs in the camps we have 1.7million people within the host communities. Even in the best of times our people were the poorest of the poor, and Boko Haram has further compounded the problem.

“Our visit is to solicit NEMA support towards the current government; we need the support of NEMA in whatever way they can assist. Though we have reached out to so many organizations, but this is where the real support lies. Borno is free now, though there are hiccups here and there, but not like before again. I am not saying they are completely liberated. Peace is gradually returning to the state. By the end of the year the people will return to their homes.

The Director General of NEMA, Muhammed Sani Sidi assured the governor of NEMA assistance at all times and promise to immediately move to assist in the influx of IDPs in the state.

Credit: Nation

FG Denies Reports Of $50m Ransom For Release Of Chibok Girls

Posted on April 11, 2016 by Staff Reporter

The federal government on Sunday denied media reports that the militant group, Boko Haram, is demanding $50 million from it as ransom before releasing the abducted Chibok school girls.

In an interview with the Voice of America (VOA), the Minister of Information and Culture, Lai Mohammed, said ransom reports were not new.

The minister said: “It appears we have several versions of this report. “The one that we heard was from a source that Boko Haram wants to release 10 of these girls for one million Euros.

“But the most important thing is that we’ve gone through this route before, and until and when we establish the credibility of this source and the truth behind it, the government will not be in a hurry to make a statement.
“However, government is using its own channels to authenticate the credibility of this source,” he said.

Mohammed according to the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN), promised that President Muhammadu Buhari would deliver on his promise to do all he could to ensure the release of the school girls.

He stressed that the promise by the president, following his recent meeting with parents of the abducted girls at the presidential villa, was sacrosanct.

Mohammed noted that the accusations that the Buhari administration appeared not to be doing enough to secure the release of the more than 200 Chibok girls was not fair.

“No day passes without the issue of the kidnapped girls not being at the front burner. But these are highly security and intelligence issues which cannot always be discussed openly.

“But I can assure you that, for this government, the return of these girls is what is going to bring the final closure on the Boko Haram terrorism and we are working very hard, daily on it,” he said.

The minister restated government’s position that it had made significant progress in the fight against Boko Haram.

Credit: Thisday

North-East Youths Berate Fayose Over Comments On Chibok Girls

Posted on April 6, 2016 by Staff Reporter

North-East youths under the umbrella of North-East Youth Peace and Development Empowerment Initiative, NEYPDI, have berated Governor Ayodele Fayose of Ekiti state over comments credited to him that over 300 Chibok girls abducted by Boko Haram sect were never abducted.

Alhaji Kyari Abubakar, President of the group, expressed surprise that somebody like Fayose who regarded himself as a democrat could make such statement to score a cheap political point. He said, “We are surprised that this statement is coming from someone who regards himself as a democrat, that statement suggest that he has no sympathy for the parents of the abducted girls and the pains they are currently passing through.”

Abubakar who advised Fayose to stop misleading Nigerians by his unsubstantiated comments urged him to take a trip to states like Borno, Adamawa, Yobe and see the extent of damages done by Boko Haram insurgency before reeling out information to the public.

He said, “He (Fayose) should not mislead the Nigerian public about the truth. The people of North-East cannot afford to tell lies on the abduction of their daughters, that incident is always fresh in our memory.

“His utterance is short of what we expect from an elder statesman like him. We advise him to concentrate on his poor governance of Ekiti state with his flamboyant city life and wastage of peoples’ resources.”

The youth leader urged civil society organizations campaigning for the release of Chibok girls to disregard Fayose’s statement and continue with their good works.

Credit: vanguardngr

Why I Didn’t Call Jonathan After Chibok Girls Were Abducted By Boko Haram- Shettima

Posted on April 2, 2016 by Staff Reporter

Governor Kashim Shettima of Borno State has said he did not call former President Goodluck Jonathan to brief him after Boko Haram abducted over 200 school girls from Chibok, because he knew that security agencies must have briefed the president of the development the day it happened.

Mr. Shettima said as president, Mr. Jonathan had wide resources to keep him abreast of serious national security issues on a daily basis.

Mr. Shettima was responding to an inquiry which sought to determine why the governor waited for almost three weeks expecting the president to reach out to him over a major incident that happened in his domain.

The governor had said recently that Mr. Jonathan took 19 days to telephone him to ask about the abduction.

He made the remark while receiving former President Olusegun Obasanjo whom he praised as having a better record of contacting governors of crisis- prone states on a daily basis.

“In our own case, Your Excellency, after the Chibok abduction of over 200 schoolgirls in April, 2014, it took 19 days for me to receive a call from the Presidency,” Mr. Shettima said to Mr. Obasanjo.

Analysts have accused the governor of not also taking the security of his state serious enough to have to wait for the president to call, and not contact him.

Mr. Shettima spoke through his Special Adviser on Communication, Isa Gusau, who assured that his comments were the governor’s position.

Mr. Gusau said he “had it on good authority that President Goodluck Ebele Jonathan was well briefed by security agencies soon after the abduction and this is to be expected given the magnitude and for the fact that as at that time, Borno was under a State of Emergency as declared by the president, which made him directly in charge of security issues in Borno and happenings there”.

“So, ?when the Chibok abduction took place on April 14, 2014, Governor Kashim Shettima who is Chairman of the State Security Councils remained within Borno State as he was expected to do, to build public confidence and presided over series of daily security council meetings held at the Government House in Maiduguri to analyze the situation and developments, to identify strategies and to coordinate deployment of security responses to containing the emergency,” he said.

Credit: Premiumtimes

Fayose Slammed For Chibok Girls Comment

Posted on April 1, 2016 by Staff Reporter

Criticisms have trailed the outburst of Governor Ayodele Fayose on the abducted Chibok schoolgirls

Fayose had said the abduction was not true, but a political instrument to vote out former President Goodluck Jonathan.

He spoke in Ado Ekiti while declaring open a two-day workshop on capacity building among female political aspirants from Ekiti, Osun and Ondo states.

The administration of former President Goodluck Jonathan had lived in denial up till three weeks after the news of the abduction broke, saying no schoolgirl was kidnapped in Chibok.

The senator representing Osun-West senatorial district, Isiaka Adeleke, said Fayose should put himself in the shoes of the schoolgirls’ parents, adding that even former President Jonathan later admitted that the schoolgirls were kidnapped.

Adeleke, who is a member of the All Progressives Congress, said, “Fayose should not trivialise this touchy issue. The governor should use his time wisely and pray for the safe return of these girls.”

The senator representing the Osun-East senatorial district, Babajide Omoworare, called on the country’s security agencies to invite Fayose to tell Nigerians where the kidnapped schoolchildren are.

In a reaction on Thursday, Omoworare said his called for the interrogation of Fayose because the governor appeared to have classified information on the whereabouts of the girls.

He said, “Security agents must invite Fayose for us to know where the schoolgirls are. He is probably having classified information. However, if he is playing politics as usual, it is cruel to mock the girls’ parents and Nigerians who are daily in agony and hoping that someday, the girls would come back alive.

“The Buhari administration will do all it can to bring back the girls and end the mockery from people like Fayose.”

Also, a former member of the House of Representatives, Bamidele Faparusi, described Fayose’s claim as a threat to national security.

Faparusi, a chieftain of the APC in Ekiti State, maintained that Fayose by the statement had insulted the sensibilities of the families of the missing girls.

He called on the security agencies to invite the governor for questioning to shed more light on his claims.

Faparusi said, “Governor Fayose has given the whole country the lead that these girls were neither missing nor dead. All we need to do is to ask him to tell the whole country where they are being kept and nothing more.

“The world-renowned activist, Malala, came to Nigeria to visit Dr Goodluck Jonathan and begged that these children must be recovered. Even after the abduction, some of these girls escaped and were later reunited with their families when Jonathan was still in the saddle.

“Could it be inferred here that the former President who is also a member of Fayose’s party, had lied against his own administration?”

A former Executive Secretary, Ayedire Local Government Council of Osun State, Gbenga Ogunkanmi, said that Nigerians should not accord Fayose attention.

In a statement by his media aide, Ismail Usman, on Thursday, Ogunkanmi said Fayose had lost the sense of dignity and integrity.

He said, “It is shocking that a person occupying the exalted position of governor could open his mouth and gush out these insensible utterances. It shows how debased our political system is. It shows that something is wrong with how our political leaders emerge.”

Also, the Lagos State chapter of the APC slammed Fayose for describing the abduction of the missing schoolgirls as a political gimmick to pull down the Jonathan administration.

Speaking in an interview with our correspondent on Thursday, the state Publicity Secretary of the APC, Joe Igbokwe, said Fayose had subjected himself to public ridicule with his comments.

He said, “It pains me to no end that we are still providing a chance for world-class joker, Fayose, to continue to insult our intelligence. Fayose is an indictment on all of us, especially the educated people of Ekiti State.

“Fayose is a punishment to the people of Nigeria and Ekiti State. The people deserve the kind of government they get. Again, the relocation of Ekiti lawmakers to Oyo State is not unconnected with the house of fraud called Ekiti Government House. Nothing good can come out of Ekiti as long as Fayose is there. Out of nothing comes nothing. You cannot give what you do not have.”

Credit: Punch

US, UK Knew Whereabouts of Chibok Girls – Ex-British Envoy

Posted on March 21, 2016 by Staff Reporter

The US and British governments knew where at least 80 of the Nigerian girls kidnapped by Boko Haram were but failed to launch a rescue mission, it has been revealed.

The Boko Haram terrorists stormed a secondary boarding school in the remote town of Chibok in Borno state, northern Nigeria in April 2014, and seized 276 girls who were preparing for end-of-year exams. Although 57 of the girls managed to escape the rest have remained missing and have not been heard from or seen since apart from in May that year, when 130 of them appeared in a Boko Haram video wearing hijabs and reciting the Quran.

Dr Andrew Pocock, the former British high commissioner to Nigeria, has now revealed that a large group of the missing girls were spotted by British and American surveillance officials shortly after their disappearance, but experts felt nothing could be done.

He told The Sunday Times of London that Western governments felt ‘powerless’ to help as any rescue attempt would have been too high risk – with Boko Haram terrorists using the girls as human shields. Dr Pocock said: ‘A couple of months after the kidnapping, fly-bys and an American eye in the sky spotted a group of up to 80 girls in a particular spot in the Sambisa forest, around a very large tree, called locally the Tree of Life, along with evidence of vehicular movement and a large encampment.’ According to the report of Pocock’s interview with Sunday Times, as published in the Daily Mail on Sunday, the former envoy said the girls were there for at least four weeks but authorities were ‘powerless’ to intervene – and the Nigerian government did not ask for help anyway.

He said: ‘A land-based attack would have been seen coming miles away and the girls killed, an air-based rescue, such as flying in helicopters or Hercules, would have required large numbers and meant a significant risk to the rescuers and even more so to the girls.’ He added: ‘You might have rescued a few but many would have been killed. My personal fear was always about the girls not in that encampment — 80 were there, but 250 were taken, so the bulk were not there. What would have happened to them? You were damned if you do and damned if you don’t.’ In an investigation by Christina Lamb for the Sunday Times Magazine, Dr Pocock said the information was passed to the Nigerians but they made no request for help. According to the report in Daily Mail, the Sunday Times Magazine has also seen brutal rape videos which show schoolgirls are being used as sex slaves by the terrorists.

Ms Lamb reports: ‘They film schoolgirls being raped over and over again until their scream become silent Os.’ Some of the girls who managed to escape told Ms Lamb they were kept in ‘women’s prisons’ where they were taught about Islam. Boko Haram fighters would visit and pick their wives.

The girls were powerless to resist as even then the men would be heavily armed. They were shown videos of people being raped, tortured and killed as a threat of what would happen to them if they tried to run away.

Dr Stephen Davis, a former canon at Coventy Cathedral who has spent several years attempting to negotiate with the terror group said Boko Haram ‘make Isis look like playtime’ and said it is ‘beyond belief’ that the authorities both in Nigeria and the West do not know where the schoolgirls are.

He insists the locations of the camps where the girls are being kept are well known and can even be seen on Google maps. He added: ‘How many girls have to be raped and abducted before the West will do anything?’ Boko Haram leader Abubakar Shekau previously claimed that all the girls, some of whom were Christian, had converted to Islam and been ‘married off’.

The mass abduction brought the brutality of the Islamist insurgency to worldwide attention and prompted the viral social media campaign #BringBackOurGirls which was supported by everyone from Michelle Obama to Malala Yousafzai.

Boko Haram violence has left at least 17,000 dead and forced more than 2.6 million from their homes since 2009. The Global Terrorism Index ranks the group as the word’s deadliest terror organisation.

Credit : Daily Mail UK

Senator Insists Chibok Girls Are “Alive”, Explains How To Rescue Them

Posted on February 25, 2016 by Staff Reporter

The Senator representing Kaduna Central senatorial district, Shehu Sani, has assured that the missing Chibok girls will be found, but counseled that the Federal Government must negotiate with some persons to “extract” the girls from their current danger.

He also said that current events in the country had revealed that the reign of bloodshed by Boko Haram in the last seven years was sustained by the greed of a few who profited from the situation.

Mr. Sani spoke in Akure on Wednesday as a discussant at a symposium held as part of the 40thAnniversary of Ondo State and the seventh anniversary of the Olusegun Mimiko-led administration.

“Something that has bothered some of us here in line with the insurgency is, when will the Chibok girls be freed,” he asked.

“Someone said the Chibok girls will never be free, but I can tell you that they will be free and they are alive.”

Mr. Sani had in the past been named as a contact person through which the Nigerian government sought to negotiate with Boko Haram.

A civil society leader at the time, Mr. Sani later accused the former Goodluck Jonathan government of not showing sufficient commitment to the proposed talks.

Credit: PremiumTimes

Buratai Vows To Rescue Chibok Girls

Posted on February 24, 2016 by Staff Reporter

The Chief of Army Staff (COAS), Lt-Gen. Tukur Buratai, has vowed to ensure that all the Chibok girls are rescued along with all other hostages held by the Boko Haram terrorists, with the freedom of the school girls to be treated as top priority.

He also declared that the war against Boko Haram Terrorists (BHT) in the North-east has now entered into the mop-up phase of the operation.

To this end, Buratai stated that their target of defeating Boko Haram has been achieved except for a few setbacks and assured that the military is determined to complete the clearance of the remnants of the terrorists.

He disclosed this on Wednesday at the maiden meeting with the Borno Elders Forum (BEF), at the Military Command and Control Centre (MCCC), Maiduguri, Borno State.

According to him, two out of the three targets set by the military in the quest for successful Counter-Terrorism and Counter-Insurgency (CT COIN) operations in the north-east have been achieved. He listed the targets achieved as military defeat of Boko Haram, and the ongoing rescue of all terrorists’ hostages with Chibok girls as the top priority.

He said: “The three things we promised you, two have been carried out. The first task is to defeat Boko Haram and I want to tell you that as at today Boko Haram has been defeated. When I said defeat it doesn’t mean that there won’t be hick ups here and there but we are doing the mop up operations. So we are at the mop up phase of the operation. We are also making efforts to rescue those who are being held hostage at some marked locations. We hope to rescue the Chibok girls but our target is not just limited to the Chibok girls but all the hostages

Credit: Thisday

Possible Locations Of Chibok Girls Identified– Air Force

Posted on February 12, 2016 by Staff Reporter

The Nigerian Air Force says it has been able to identify possible locations of the abducted Chibok girls.

The Director of Public Relations at the Nigerian Air Force, Group Captain Ayodele Famuyiwa, said that the Air Force is abstaining from attacking the area to make sure that the girls are not hit.

He explained that the latest aerial bombardment of Sambisa forest had been aimed at the logistics base of the Boko Haram sect and not areas where the Chibok girls could be located.

“We have no fears that the girls are not there because hat particular location has been under surveillance for quite a while and we suspected maybe its a kind of ammunition depot or maybe a workshop that they are using as their logistics place.

“Once you take off the logistics base, of course you gradually weaken the resolve of the enemy to be able to prosecute any campaign,” he said.

Group Captain Ayodele Famuyiwa also explained some of the tactics used by the Air Force to locate the girls.

He said, ” The UAV (Unmanned Aerial Vehicle) has become a force multiplier for us because its cheaper to run these platforms, you are not putting men there (and) the risk of losing human beings is greatly reduced.

“Again the UAVs have the capability to be airborne for up to eleven hours and its quite cheap to maintain. So, we have been able to employ the UAV to a great extent to carry out reconnaissance and surveillance basically for intelligence gathering on the activities of the Boko Haram.”

He said that the UAVs have also helped the Air Force to understand the terrorists’ pattern of movement and “how to be able to counter them should they want to strike or spring any surprise”.

Credit: ChannelsTV

I Won’t Rest Until Chibok Girls Are Rescued Alive- Buhari

Posted on February 3, 2016 by Staff Reporter

President Muhammadu Buhari on Wednesday said his government would not rest until the over 200 girls abducted in their school in Chibok, Borno State about two years ago are rescued alive.

Buhari made the submission in a speech he delivered to the parliament of the European Union Strasbourg, France.

A copy of the speech was obtained by our correspondent in Abuja.

Buhari said he remained committed to the promise he made to the parents of the abducted girls that his administration would rescue them alive.

He thanked individual EU member states for their various assistance towards the success of the Nigerian military onslaught against the Boko Haram sect while noting their pledges to support efforts towards the rescue of the kidnapped girls.

He said, “It may interest you to know that in a recent meeting I had with parents of the Chibok Girls, I assured them that government would not rest until all the girls are rescued alive and reunited with their families.

“I remain fully committed to this pledge.

“Since my assumption of office in May last year, we have re-organised the Nigerian Armed Forces and repositioned them to deal decisively with the Boko Haram terrorists.

“Indeed, all the Local Government Areas that were hitherto under the control of the Boko Haram terrorists in Adamawa, Borno and Yobe States in the North-Eastern flank of Nigeria, have been recaptured.

“The Internally Displaced Persons are gradually returning to their communities. The Federal Government is committed to rebuilding schools, hospitals and other vital infrastructure destroyed by the fleeing terrorists.

“Currently, the activities of Boko Haram have been reduced to the Sambisa Forest and their capacity to launch major offensives has been degraded.

” Boko Haram has now resorted to attacking soft targets such as markets, mosques and churches using innocent under-aged hapless children to detonate locally made Improvised Explosive Devices.”

Credit: Punch

Securing Chibok Girls My Responsibility, Buhari Orders Investigation Into Abduction

Posted on January 15, 2016 by Staff Reporter

President Muhammadu Buhari has ordered an investigation into the theft of the 219 girls from Government Secondary in Chibok, Borno State in April 2014.

The investigation would seek to, among other things, unravel the remote and immediate circumstances leading to the kidnap of the girls by Boko Haram terrorists as well as the other events, actions and inaction that followed the incident.

This plan was revealed on Thursday when President Buhari met with some of the parents of the Chibok girls behind closed doors.

The President assured the parents that he remained fully committed to his pledge to do all within his powers to save the girls.

“I assure you that I go to bed and wake up every day with the Chibok girls on my mind.

“The unfortunate incident happened before this government came into being.

“What have we done since we assumed office? We re-organized the military, removed all the service chiefs and ordered the succeeding service chiefs to deal decisively with the Boko Haram insurgency.

“In spite of the terrible economic condition we found ourselves in, we tried to get some resources to give to the military to reorganize and equip, retrain, deploy more troops and move more forcefully against Boko Haram.

“And you all know the progress we have made. When we came in Boko Haram was in Adamawa, Yobe and Borno. Boko Haram has now been reduced to areas around Lake Chad.

“Securing the Chibok girls is my responsibility. The service chiefs and heads of our security agencies will tell you that in spite of the dire financial straits that we found the country in, I continue to do my best to support their efforts in that regard.

“This is a Nigeria where we were exporting average of two million barrels per day at over 140 dollars per barrel. Now it is down to about 27 to 30 dollars.

“You have been reading in the press how they took public funds, our funds, your funds and shared it, instead of buying weapons. That was the kind of leadership I succeeded. That was the kind of economy I inherited.

“God knows I have done my best and I will continue to do my best,” President Buhari said.

Credit: ChannelsTv

Buhari Meets With BBOG Team, Chibok Girls’ Parents Away From Media Presence

Posted on January 14, 2016 by Staff Reporter

President Muhammadu Buhari has agreed to meet with members of the Bring Back Our Girls group, after a government team failed to convince the group to suspend its request of speaking directly with the president Thursday.

Mr. Buhari is meet with the group at the banquet hall of the presidential villa, the National Security Adviser, Mohammed Monguno, said. However, reports at the time of the meeting says the press has been asked to exit the hall, and all recording gadgets switched off.

There had been a stand-off at the presidential villa, Abuja, as members of the BBOG group campaigning for the release of school girls abducted by Boko Haram from Chibok in 2014, insisted they be allowed to meet Mr. Buhari.

Members of the group were instead met by a government team comprising the Minister of Women Affairs, Aisha Al-Hassan; Minister of Defense, Monsur Dan-Ali; National Security Adviser, Mohammed Monguno; and the Chief of Defense Staff, Abayomi Olonishakin.

Credit: PremiumTimes

No Reliable Intelligence On Whereabouts & Condition Of Chibok Girls- Buhari

Posted on December 31, 2015 by Staff Reporter

President Muhammadu Buhari says that there is no reliable intelligence on the whereabouts and condition of the missing Chibok girls.

The President made the statement on Wednesday during his first Media Chat since he assumed office at the Presidential Villa in Abuja.

“There has been no firm intelligence where those girls are physical are and what condition they are in.

“What we believe from our intelligence, they kept on shifting them around so that they are not taken by surprise and get them (the Chibok girls) freed,” the President said when asked if the military and other security agencies have any information that confirmed if the girls were alive and in good condition.

The Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces also disclosed that he was working with neighbouring countries including Niger Republic and Chad amongst others to ensure the release of the abducted girls.

Credit: ChannelsTV

FG Still Tracking Chibok Girls – Lai Mohammed

Posted on December 29, 2015 by Staff Reporter

The Minister of Information and Culture, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, has restated commitment of the Federal Government to tracking and locating the missing Chibok girls.

Mohammed said it was important for the military to adopt less lethal procedures compared with the drastic measures employed by neigbouring countries along the Sambisa Forest.

He said the public should commend the military and provide needed information to further decapitate the insurgents.
Mohammed, who spoke to Channels TV via phone, stated that, “We are a bit constrained. I know that some countries have set certain fire around the Sambisa forest in order to smoke out the Boko Haram insurgents but we are being careful because we are still looking for the Chibok girls and we do not want unnecessary collateral casualties.

“I know that many of our neighbours like Mali and Niger have employed certain procedures because of our major objective that we are still looking for the Chibok girls, so in some parts of Sambisa forest, we cannot adopt such drastic approaches.”

The 235 Chibok girls were declared missing for about 300 days, while efforts were made to ensure their safe arrival.

The Minister stated that prior to the assumption of the current administration; the entire north east was almost taken over by the insurgents.

However, he restated need to applaud the military for recovering about 20 local governments from the entire councils lose to the sect.

“People must own the war. They must report suspicious movements and complement efforts of the military. How many bars or football viewing centres in Lagos can you secure? No, but if you have enough information to beef up the security, it would help,” he added.

“That is absolutely incorrect. It is possible for insurgents to lay ambush on the road. It doesn’t mean that they are in control of those local governments. I travelled 89 kilometres from Maiduguri to Bama.

“We are not saying we are going to route or eliminate ambush or attacks overnight. It’s never done in any insurgency but what we are just giving the fact, less than a year ago, the entire north east was almost in their control, today they don’t have that kind of command. It’s just about one local government that they have swayed at all,” the Minister said.

He emphasized that the public should complement efforts of the military by contributing to intelligence gathering.

Probe Maku For Deceiving Nigerians About Release Of Chibok Girls, Al-Makura

Posted on December 28, 2015 by Staff Reporter

Gov. Tanko Al-makura of Nasarawa State has called for the probe of the failure of Mr Labaran Maku to rescue the Chibok girls as the supervising Minister of Defence in the last administration. This is contained in a statement signed by the Special Assistant to the governor on Media and Publicity ,Alhaji Tukur Ahmed, on Sunday in Lafia .

The statement said the probe was necessary in the interest of justice and fairness to the parents and guardians of the 200 female students of Government Girls Secondary School, Chibok in Borno. According to the governor, the ongoing trial of the accused persons in the embezzlement of $2.1 billion meant for arms purchase should not exclude “those who allegedly collected money in the name of securing the release of Chibok girls but never did”.

Al-Makura noted that the investigation will go a long in revealing “how Maku, as Information Minister deceived Nigerians on the purported release of the Chibok girls”. “It was alleged that the former Minister also collected several millions of Naira under the guise that they were negotiating for the release of Chibok girls from Boko Haram”, he added.

He pointed out that Maku’s recent assurance that he will speak up on the $2.1bn arms deal is a ploy to draw public sympathy. The governor also challenged Maku to explain his role in the Ombatse and Baba Alakyo Saga over the killings of 86 security operatives while he was supervising the federal ministry of defence.

The statement commended President Muhammadu Buhari’s resolve to defeat Boko Haram, saying the insurgents are in disarray. It called on all Nigerians especially the residents of the North East to support “this patriotic and honest drive to bring lasting peace”.

No Stone Will Be Left Unturned For Safe Return Of Chibok Girls– FG

Posted on December 9, 2015 by Staff Reporter

The Federal government on Tuesday lamented that the massive looting of public funds perpetrated by some officials of government under the immediate past administration is seriously affecting the operations of government, just as it assured that no stone will be left unturned in ensuring the safe return of the Chibok girls. Consequently, the government has vowed that nobody, among those who contributed to the present mess that Nigeria currently finds herself, will go unpunished.

The Minister of Information and Culture, Alhaji Lai Mohammed stated this on Tuesday at a press conference in Abuja. The Minister equally said that the government is seriously concerned about the safe return of the over 200 secondary school girls kidnapped by the Boko Haram terrorists in Borno State over 600 days ago. Alhaji Mohammed thus assured that no stone will be left unturned by the soldiers in the North Eastern part of the country to ensure that the kidnapped girls are rescued and returned safely to their people. According to him, “the military is leaving no stone unturned to get them (the Chibok girls).

The government is very concerned about the safe return of the Chibok girls. There are so many things that the soldiers are doing underground that cannot be exposed to the public. For security reason, we can not disclose certain information. On the issue of the ongoing agitation for Biafra Republic by some people in the South Eastern part of the country, Alhaji Mohammed pointed out that the Federal government was doing everything to tame the agitation. The Minister added however that such agitation has to be subtle.

Credit: ChannelsTV

Reps Seek Crack Team On Rescue Of Chibok Girls

Posted on October 14, 2015 by Staff Reporter

House of Representatives yesterday disclosed that about 45,000 Nigerians have so far been kidnapped by Boko Haram since 2012.

In considering a motion on the kidnap of 219 girls in Chibok, Borno State, the House sought a crack team comprising all security agencies to rescue the girls and the 45,000 kidnapped Nigerians.

A motion, which called on the Federal Government to intensify efforts to rescue the abducted Chibok girls, sponsored by Hon. Asabe Vilita Bashir, who represents Chibok/Damboa//Gwoza Federal Constituency of Borno State, was debated by the lawmakers.

In amending the motion, Hon. Nasir Ali Ahmad (Kano-APC), informed the House that about 45,000 Nigerians were at the moment being held hostage by the sect.

His amendment was adopted and passed along.

While presenting her motion, Bashir regretted that the parents and guardians of the abducted girls were not being briefed on developments in the efforts to rescue them.

“Families of the missing Chibok girls and Nigerians are not being informed of any rescue plan and are consequently living in unimaginable agony, not being sure if any efforts are being made to rescue the girls,” she said.

Read More: nationalmirroronline

There Is No Hurry To Rescue Kidnapped Chibok Girls – Nigerian Army

Posted on October 2, 2015 by Staff Reporter

The Acting Director, Defence Information, Military Headquarters, Abuja, Col. Rabe Abubakar,at a press conference in Lagos on Thursday, said that even though it’s imperative to the military to rescue the kidnapped Chibok girls, there was no immediate hurry to do so because their rescue demanded adequate patience and planning.

He said, “The issue of the low morale of the Nigerian military men has now become a thing of the past. The operation to recover the Chibok girls is alive and still ongoing. We have continued to make rescue efforts, and we will do all within our powers to bring the girls.

“However, we will not rush to do this. It requires diligent intervention and a high-level operation to rescue the girls. In due time, every captive of Boko Haram will be released.

A lot of achievements have been recorded recently, and this cannot be disconnected from the high morale of the army. “We want to assure our citizens that soon, insurgency will be a thing of the past. But, it is not only about the military or the North-Eastern region. It is our collective duty to ensure that there is peace in the country.

“The Nigerian army has put together a multilateral cooperation. Niger, Nigeria, Chad and Cameroon are partnering to ensure we win the terrorism war.”

We are not sleeping. We are cooperating with the relevant agencies in the fight against the terrorists.”

Punch

Army Reiterates Commitment To Finding Chibok Girls

Posted on October 1, 2015 by Staff Reporter

The Nigerian Military has reiterated its commitment to finding the missing Chibok Girls, kidnapped over a year ago.

In an exclusive interview with Channels Television, the Army spokesperson, Colonel Rabe Abubakar, said the military does have a strategy towards finding the girls, but the main focus is that the girls are rescued alive.

He also wants Nigerians to disregard videos and audio recordings of Boko Haram members, claiming victory over the military.

“The issue of the celebration shouldn’t bother Nigerians”, adding that “we are the ones fighting, we know what we have done, we know how far we are planning and we won’t be distracted by that.

“As far as Nigerian military is concerned, we are succeeding in isolating them, we are succeeding in ensuring that their hide out have been completely trashed.

“As I’m speaking with you, we will continue doing the coordination and process between the Air Force and Army to ensure that the so called “Terrorist”will no longer have business in the country”, he maintained.

Read More: channelstv

Chibok girls’ rescue: We want Information to produce result – Ezekwesili

Posted on September 17, 2015 by Staff Reporter

Dr Oby Ezekwesili, a leader of the #BringBackOurGirls (BBOG) group, has called on the federal government to back up the statement on the abducted 219 Chibok School girls with result which is the rescue of the girls.

Speaking during the normal sit-out of the group, Ezekwesili stated that many information has emanated about the abducted girls and expressed hope that those information will produce the desired result of the girls returning back to their families.

“There is so much news of our Chibok girls. Sometimes we think it is so much information that sometimes it makes us scared but we welcome the communication and want the information about the girls to translate into result. It will translate into result when the girls are back. That is what we want to get . We pray it is sooner. Our girls have stayed for so long. Our girls should have been back as soon as we knew they were taken,” she said.

Ezekwesili stated that the families and parents of the abducted girls, the BBOG group and other Nigerians cannot afford to have their hopes dashed yet again as they have been so many times by the past administration.

“We can’t afford another disappointment like we did last year. I remember in September, when they said that the girls have been rescued and were being transported in buses to the barracks. It turned out not to be so, my heart was broken. We can’t afford that again. Whatever is being said that is being done, must produce result because we can’t be fooled by the savages holding our girls again,” she said.

Recall that President Muhammadu Buhari told members of the Nigerian community in France under the aegis of Nigerian in Diaspora Organisation that his administration is negotiating with insurgent group Boko Haram for the release of the over 200 school girls kidnapped in Chibok, Borno State.

The president explained that the government has to first establish the genuineness of members of the sect putting themselves forward for negotiations to avoid the mistake of engaging the wrong persons.

Buhari stated that the continued stay of the girls in the hands of their captors was worrisome.

–Leadership

Release Chibok Girls, Get Amnesty, Buhari Tells Boko Haram

Posted on September 17, 2015 by Staff Reporter

President Muhammadu Buhari has promised to grant amnesty to Boko Haram fighters on the condition that they release all the abducted Chibok schoolgirls.

The President, who on a three-day visit to France, said this during an interview with Agence France Presse on Wednesday.

Buhari told AFP that the Federal Government was talking to Boko Haram’s prisoners and could offer them amnesty if the extremist group hands over more than 200 schoolgirls abducted from their hostel at the Chibok Government Secondary School, Chibok, Borno State on April 14, 2014.

Read More: punchng

Chibok girls: FG has opened negotiations with Boko Haram – Buhari

Posted on September 16, 2015 by Staff Reporter

President Muhammadu Buhari on Tuesday in France stated that his government has kicked off negotiations with Boko Haram to secure the release of over 200 Chibok girls.

It will be recalled that about 219 school girls were abducted by the Sect from their school in Chibok Community, Borno State over a year ago.

Speaking with members of the Nigerian community in France under the auspices of Nigerians in Diaspora Organisation (NIDO), president who is currently on a three day official visit to the frnech country stated that the global attention and sympathy the ugly incident has attracted informed the negotiation.

He however disclosed that the government was making frantic effort to determine the genuine leaders of the group.

President Buhari also vowed not to release the developer of the Sect’s IED’s which according to him was a condition advanced by the Group of releasing the girls.

He said: “The issue of Chibok girls has occupied our minds and because of the international attention it drew and the sympathy through out the country and the world, the government is negotiating with some of the Boko Haram leadership.”

“It is a very sensitive development in the sense that first we have to establish, are they genuine leaders of the Boko Haram. That is number one. Number two, what are their terms, the first impression we had was not very encouraging.

“They wanted us to release one of their leaders who is a strategic person in developing and making Improvised IEDs that is causing a lot of havoc in the country by blowing people in Churches, Mosque, market places, motor parks and other places. But is very important that if we are going to talk to any body, we have to know how much he is worth.

According to him, “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 and a half year, a lot of the parents who have died would rather see the graves of their daughters rather the condition they imagine they are in.”

He added that “This has drawn a lot of sympathy though out the world, that is why this government is getting very hard in negotiating and getting the balance of those who are alive.”

President Buhari also assured the Nigerian community that his government would revitalise the economy and restore the glory days of Nigeria.

Some members who fielded questions requested the president to factor in the sufferings of the disabled in the Country just as they also asked to be accorded voting rights during elections.

-Vanguard

Buhari Tasked On Release Of Chibok Girls

Posted on September 15, 2015 by Staff Reporter

Professor Bruce Onabrekpeya, a renowned sculptor, has appealed to President Muhammadu Buhari to fast-track his efforts toward the release of the abducted Chibok girls by the Boko Haram insurgents.

While lauding the President in his effort so far, he said there’s a need to quicken the process to save the young girls and bring succour to their parents.

The foremost Nigerian art icon made the call during a speech at an art exhibition sponsored by Greenhouse Art Empowerment Center Olambe, Ogun State, as he presented an installation work dedicated to the Chibok girls, entitled,’Sambisa Forest.’

In his statement directed to Chibok girls, he said: “This is to let you know that our spirits are there with you in the Sambisa forest where you have been suffering for a period of 510 days.”

As grand parents, parents,brothers and sisters, friends, citizens of Nigeria and the world, we share your pains. We pray daily for your release from the forbidden forest. I feel intensely what you are going through because I too was kidnapped as a child during the Ekene festival but was miraculously rescued before being taken away into the forest. I dedicate the Installation called ‘Sambisa Forest’ to you.”

Read More: vanguardngr

Wife Of Boko Haram Commander Makes Shocking Revelation About Chibok Girls

Posted on September 14, 2015 by Staff Reporter

The hope of recovering the abducted Chibok girls yesterday dimmed further with the declaration by a returnee from Boko Haram camp.

Twenty-one-year old Tabitha Adamu, one of the women freed from the sect’s camp and handed over to the Borno State Government last week, said the girls had turned to Boko Haram fighters.

Tabitha, who is expectant for one of the sect’s commanders who forcibly married her, said she mingled with the girls at various times in the sect’s camp.

According to Tabitha, she was taken from Bayan Dutse in Gwoza Local Government Area, when the
insurgents invaded her village.

She said: “They killed my father and brother. They took me along with my mother but at some point we were separated. Since then, I’ve not set my eyes on my mother. When he (Abu Kabir, my Boko Haram husband), wanted to marry me, he gave the women who were taking care of us N5,000 as my bride price.

“Before the marriage, I was asked to convert to Islam. I did so because many who refused were killed and they gave me a name (Samira). I answered the name but I know my true name is my real name. When we were rescued I told the soldiers that my name is Tabitha.

“They asked me if I am one of the wives of the Boko Haram and I told them my story. They felt for me and they treated me well.

“Many people asked me since we were liberated, particularly about the pregnancy. I don’t know the right answer to give because I actually do not know what to do. It has happened. I don’t know what the authorities would do about it but I think it is too late to abort it. But my prayer is that I give birth safely.”

Tabitha said she completed her secondary education and earned a certificate in computer appreciation in Maiduguri before moving to join her parents in Gwoza, at the peak of the Boko Haram insurgency.

According to her, now that the government has promised to help her, she would be looking for a good future when she finally gains her freedom after the government might have trained her in a trade.

Source: The Nation

Many Chibok Girls Now Boko Haram Fighters, Says Rescued Girl (Must Read)

Posted on September 14, 2015 by Staff Reporter

Many among the abducted girls from Government Girls Secondary School, Chibok, have turned into Boko Haram fighters, 21-year-old Tabitha Adamu, one of the women freed from the Boko Haram insurgents and handed over to the Borno State government, has said.

Tabitha, who was pregnant for one of the commanders of the Boko Haram sect killed during the raid that bought her freedom said that she was not one of the abducted Chibok girls, but had mingled with them at various times in many camps of the Boko Haram before the raid that eventually led to her freedom.

According to Tabitha, she was taken from Bayan Dutse, in Gwoza Local Government Area, when the insurgents invaded her village.

“They killed my father and brother. They took me along with my mother but, at some point, we were separated. Since then, I never set my eyes on my mother. When he (Abu Kabir, her Boko Haram husband), wanted to marry me, he gave the women who were taking care of us N5,000 as my bride price.

“Before the marriage, I was asked to convert to Islam. I did so because many who refused were killed. They gave me a name (Samira) I always answer the name, but I know my true name is my real name. When we were rescued, I told the soldiers that my name is Tabitha. They asked me if I am one of the wives of the Boko Haram and I told them my story. They felt for me and they treated me well.

“Many people asked me about the pregnancy in particular. I don’t know the right answer to give, because I actually do not know what to do. It has happened, I don’t know what the authorities would do about it, but I think it is too late to abort it. My prayer, however, is that I give birth safely.”

Read More: tribuneonlineng

Chibok Girls Still Alive, Intelligence Reports Reveals More

Posted on September 8, 2015 by Staff Reporter

Intelligence reports have revealed that at least half of the Chibok girls are still alive but held in various secret locations in the North-east region of Nigeria and neighbouring countries of the Lake Chad region.

This is coming as the division between the Abubakar Shekau-led faction of the Boko Haram sect and a splinter group led by Mahamat Daoud, who recently claimed to be the new leader of the group, has weakened the resolve of the terrorists to carry on with their mission for an Islamic Caliphate.

An intelligence source vouched that some, but not all, of the Chibok girls were alive.

The source revealed that military intelligence was aware that some the girls were still with the terrorists in different locations, while some had been married off and may never be found again.

“We will never find all the girls again as intelligence findings revealed some have died, and some married away, while the rest are still divided among the terror groups in different locations both within the North-east and some neighbouring countries,” the source said.

Read More: thisdaylive

We Have Not Lost Hope For Recovery Of The Chibok Girls – Presidency

Posted on September 7, 2015 by Staff Reporter

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The Senior Special Assistant to the President and Media and Publicity, Mallam Garba Shehu, says President Muhammadu Buhari never promised to rescue the Chibok girls on the second day of his administration.

Shehu said this in an interview with our correspondent in Abuja on Sunday.

He explained that while the anxiety among Nigerians was understandable, it was better to allow the President to do a thorough job even as he focuses on key areas to revive the nation.

The Presidential aide noted that Nigerians and indeed friends of Nigeria from across the world would bear witness to the fact that the activities of the terrorist group Boko Haram had been on a steady decline.

He attributed this to the reinvigoration of the long lost military traditions where leaders lead the battle.

Shehu said, “To be fair to President Buhari, did he ever say he will bring back the girls on the second day of his administration? What he has always said is that we don’t even know where the girls are and that we need to go in there and get the intelligence and situation of things and then act.

“Without meaning to endanger what is left of those girls, you know that the Sambisa Forest is being degraded right now.

“In the last few days, you even saw the Chief of Army Staff leading the troops and I am aware that in the last few weeks, very interesting pictures have been shown to the President on the basis of which we will say to Nigerians, don’t lose hope on the Chibok girls.

“I am not saying they have been found or that they have been seen. But it is not yet time for Nigerians to say we have lost them.”

According to him, officers and men of the various armed services are now more confident to deal with Nigeria’s enemies because the presence of their service chiefs with them on the battleground has done a lot to boost their morale.

Commenting on the bombardment of Boko Haram’s strongholds in the operation areas, Shehu also explained that the troops were being careful so as to minimise avoidable collateral damage.

According to him, drones monitor the forest at night and a combination of manned and unmanned aircraft as well as troops take over in the day.

He added that the success being recorded by the troops had left the terrorists with no option but to resort to carrying out isolated attacks on soft targets such as churches, mosques and markets to give an impression that they were still active.

Shehu explained that the President, who is currently on a private visit to his countryhome in Daura, was not interested in marking his first 100 days in office just like he said during his address at Chatham House in London because he considered the exercise as somehow fraudulent.

In response to a question as to whether Nigerians should still expect the appointment of ministers this month since the National Assembly would still be on recess till the September 28, Shehu said, “Can the President be given the benefit of doubt till the 30th of September? Ministers will come; we should place our national interest above everything else.”

He explained that the President had since his assumption of office brought to bear the kind of focus Nigeria required to deal with the myriad of problems it had faced with on all fronts.

Shehu also said, “People are taking a cue from the fact that there is a new sheriff in town. People are taking a cue from the body language of the President who without saying a word, his body language sends a message.”

Chibok Girls Narrate Life In America

Posted on August 31, 2015 by Staff Reporter

Emmanuel Ogebe, a U.S.-based Nigerian human rights lawyer collaborated with a couple in Nigeria to help bring some Chibok schoolgirls who had escaped from Boko Haram to the United States.

Boko Haram kidnapped Lily and 275 other schoolgirls one night in April 2014. In a remote town in northeastern Nigeria, the radical fighters grabbed Lily and the others as they slept inside the local high school’s dormitory. They stuffed them into trucks and drove off into the night with a convoy of squealing, terrified high school students.

Lily said her heart was pounding, and she closed her eyes and prayed. Hours after her capture, she found the courage to jump out of the moving truck; a friend followed her. She ran through the bushes in the middle of the night, and made her way back home. After that, she resolved never to return to school.

Lily was made fun of after her escape; leaving Nigeria offered her a chance to change the course of her life. Lily and nine other girls arrived in the U.S. last year, between July and December.

“I know I said I would never go to school again but things have changed,” Lily said with a smile. “I am in America!”

The girls recently went back to class after a summer break that included trips to the White House, museum and a national tour with a church choir. Host families housed the girls during the summer vacation.

Murna, 19, discovered she has motion sickness and cannot sit in a car for long. Lily has not acquired a taste for American food.

Sometimes, Lily’s mind wanders to Nigeria, to Chibok, to Boko Haram, to her best friend Dorcas, who was abducted with her and is presumably still in the clutches of Boko Haram members. Dorcas and Lily grew up together as neighbors.

“She is still inside Sambisa,” Lily says. “I miss her so much. She is a very good person.”

Read More: aljazeera

Ban Ki-Moon Demands Unconditional Release Of Chibok Girls

Posted on August 24, 2015 by Staff Reporter

The United Nations Secretary-General, Mr. Ban Ki-Moon, on Monday called for the unconditional release of the over 200 girls abducted in their school in Chibok, Borno State last year and other abductees of the Boko Haram sect.

Ban Ki-Moon made the appeal while addressing State House correspondents shortly after having a closed door meeting with President Muhammadu Buhari at the Presidential Villa, Abuja, as part of the activities lined up for his two-day visit to the country.

His call came the week the girls will be spending their 500th day in captivity.

He commended Buhari who he said had embarked on an agenda for change in which he was prioritising security and anti-corruption war.

He promised UN support for the President’s agenda, saying “When you change Nigeria, you have also changed Africa.”

Buhari on his part said they discussed the difficult time Nigeria had found itself during the meeting.

He said the step was taken so that the UN could assist the country.

He thanked Ban Ki-Moon for extending invitation to him to attend the UN General Assembly holding in New York on September 27 and 28.

The UN scribe will return to the Presidential Villa by 7pm for a dinner organised in his honour.

Chibok Girls: What Most People Don’t Know

Posted on August 24, 2015 by Staff Reporter

President of the Ekklisiyar Yan’uwa a Nigeria (EYN) Church of the Brethren in Nigeria, Rev Samuel Dali, has said that members of the dreaded Boko Haram sect have killed over 8,000 members of the church in Borno, Adamawa and Yobe states.

He disclosed that the over 176 kidnapped Chibok girls are children of members of the Church of the Brethren (EYN), adding “Some of our members are still traumatised as some of them have been separated from their parents and loved ones as a result of the activities of Boko Haram”.

Read More: leadership

Boko Haram Offers To Swap Abducted Chibok Girls With Members – Report

Posted on July 8, 2015 by Staff Reporter

Amidst the admittance by the Presidency that the Nigerian government would negotiate with the Boko Haram Insurgents group, a Human Rights Activists has said that the terrorists group have made an offer to release the over 200 girls kidnapped from a boarding school in Borno last year in exchange for its members detained by the Nigerian govt.

According to Associated Press (AP), the activist said the current offer by the terrorist group is limited to the Chibok Girls alone despite claims by Amnesty International that over 2000 girls were kidnapped by the group.

The activist who AP said was involved in last year’s offer by the sect under the administration of Goodluck Jonathan and close to the current negotiators ?spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to talk to reporters on this sensitive issue.

The report said ?Fred Eno, an apolitical Nigerian who has been negotiating with Boko Haram for more than a year, told the AP that “another window of opportunity opened” in the last few days, though he could not discuss details.

He said the recent slew of Boko Haram bloodletting — some 350 people killed in the past nine days — is consistent with past ratcheting up of violence as the militants seek a stronger negotiating position.

Presidential adviser Femi Adesina said on Saturday that Nigeria’s government “will not be averse” to talks with Boko Haram. “Most wars, however furious or vicious, often end around the negotiation table,” he said.

?Eno, according to the report said the 5-week-old administration of President Muhammadu Buhari offers “a clean slate” to bring the militants back to negotiations that had become poisoned by the different security agencies and their advice to Jonathan.

Two months of talks last year led government representatives and Eno to travel in September to a northeastern town where the prisoner exchange was to take place, only to be stymied by the Department for State Service intelligence agency, the activist said.

At the last minute, the agency said it was holding only four of the militants sought by Boko Haram, the activist said.

It is not known how many Boko Haram suspects are detained by Nigeria’s intelligence agency, whose chief Buhari fired last week.

The activist said the agency continues to hold suspects illegally because it does not have enough evidence for a conviction, and any court would free them. Nigerian law requires charges be brought after 48 hours.

Thousands of suspects have died in custody, and some detainees wanted by Boko Haram may be among them. Amnesty International alleges that 8,000 detainees have died in military custody — some have been shot, some have died from untreated injuries due to torture, and some have died from starvation and other harsh treatment.

In May, about 300 women, girls and children being held captive by Boko Haram were rescued by Nigeria’s military, but none were from Chibok. It is believed that the militants view the Chibok girls as a last-resort bargaining chip.

In that infamous abduction, 274 mostly Christian girls preparing to write science exams were seized from the school by Islamic militants in the early hours of April 15, 2014. Dozens escaped on their own in the first few days, but 219 remain missing?.

?Boko Haram has not shown them since a May 2014 video in which its leader, Abubakar Shekau warned: “You won’t see the girls again unless you release our brothers you have captured.”

In the video, nearly 100 of the girls, who have been identified by their parents, were shown wearing Islamic hijab and reciting the Quran. One of them said they had converted to Islam.

International indignation at Nigeria’s failure to rescue the girls was joined by U.S. first lady Michelle Obama. In a radio address in May 2014, she said she and President Barack Obama are “outraged and heartbroken” over the abduction.

?Jonathan’s government initially denied there had been any mass abduction and delays of a rescue that might have brought the girls home became a hallmark of his other failures. He steadfastly refused to meet with the Bring Back Our Girls campaigners, charging they were politicizing the issue.

On Wednesday, President Buhari welcomed those campaigners at the presidential villa in Abuja and pleaded “We only ask for your patience.” He said “The delay and conflicting reaction by the former government and its agencies is very unfortunate.”

Campaign leader Oby Ezekwesili said, “The rescue of our Chibok girls is the strongest statement that this government could make to shog respect for the sanctity and dignity of every Nigerian life.”

There have been unconfirmed reports that some of the girls have been taken to neighboring countries, and that some have been radicalized and trained as fighters. At least three were reported to have died — one from dysentery, one from malaria and one from a snake bite.

Last year, Shekau said the girls were an “old story,” and that he had married them off to his fighters.

Lawan Zanna, whose daughter is among the captives, said this week that 14 Chibok parents have died since the mass kidnapping, many from stress-related illnesses blamed on the ordeal.

Some of the Chibok girls who managed to escape have been rejected by their community and now live with family friends, tired of hearing taunts like “Boko Haram wives.”

The assumption that all girls and women held by the group have been raped is a difficult stigma to overcome in Nigeria’s highly religious and conservative society.

Jonathan’s government initially denied there had been any mass abduction and delays of a rescue that might have brought the girls home became a hallmark of his other failures. He steadfastly refused to meet with the Bring Back Our Girls campaigners, charging they were politicizing the issue.

Campaign leader Oby Ezekwesili said, “The rescue of our Chibok girls is the strongest statement that this government could make to showg respect for the sanctity and dignity of every Nigerian life.”

Last year, Shekau said the girls were an “old story,” and that he had married them off to his fighters.

Lawan Zanna, whose daughter is among the captives, said this week that 14 Chibok parents have died since the mass kidnapping, many from stress-related illnesses blamed on the ordeal.

Some of the Chibok girls who managed to escape have been rejected by their community and now live with family friends, tired of hearing taunts like “Boko Haram wives.”
The assumption that all girls and women held by the group have been raped is a difficult stigma to overcome in Nigeria’s highly religious and conservative society.

Source – abusidiqu.com

Buhari Faults Jonathan’s Approach To Chibok Girls’ Abduction

Posted on July 8, 2015 by Staff Reporter

President Muhammadu Buhari on Wednesday maintained that that the handling of the Chibok girls issue by former President Goodluck Jonathan’s administration was not impressive. He spoke when he received the #Bring Back Our Girls (BBOG) group at the Presidential Villa, Abuja.

He declared that it was a matter of right for the government to take care of the welfare of the escaped girls and parents of the over 200 secondary school girls abducted from Chibok, Borno State on April 14 last year. He said: “I think the government should provide the welfare as a matter of right.”

Buhari promised to do all it takes to rescue the Chibok girls. He wondered how the capacity of Nigerian armed forces had lowered over the years. Promising to strengthen institutions, he said, that everything will be done to bring the armed forces back to its lost glory.

The #Bring Back Our Girls (BBOG) group visited the Presidential Villa to make formal demands for the girls’ rescue, among others. The group was led by the Coordinators, former Minister of Education, Oby Ezekwesili and Mariam Uwais.

Vice President Yemi Osinbajo along with the National Security Adviser, Sambo Dasuki and some service chiefs were also among top government officials that received the group in the briefing room attached to the Council Chamber.

Previous attempts by the group to access the seat of power and have audience with former President Jonathan were thwarted by the last administration.

The demands made by Ezekwesili and Chibok Area Development Association, represented by Mr. Dauda Iliya, Wednesday, included increasing effort by the government to immediately rescue the abducted girls, for the Federal Government to start taking care of the welfare of parents of the abducted and escaped girls.

Read More: thenationonlineng

Boko Haram Offers To Free Chibok Girls In Exchange For Detainees

Posted on July 8, 2015 by Staff Reporter

Deadly group, Boko Haram is offering to free more than 200 young women and girls kidnapped from a boarding school in the town of Chibok in exchange for the release of militant leaders held by the government.

According to an activist, who pleaded anonymity with an international news agency because he was not authorized to talk to reporters on the sensitive issue, it was revealed that Boko Haram’s current offer is limited to the girls from the school in northeastern Nigeria whose mass abduction in April 2014.

“The new initiative reopens an offer made last year to the government of former President Goodluck Jonathan to release the 219 students in exchange for 16 Boko Haram detainees, the activist said.

Credit: vanguardngr

We Located Chibok Girls But Couldn’t Rescue Them– UK Envoy

Posted on July 8, 2015 by Staff Reporter

The outgoing British High Commissioner to Nigeria Dr. Andrew Pocock yesterday said the abducted Chibok school girls were located but it’s practically impossible to rescue them safely.

He also said his county was not advocate for dialogue with the Boko Haram sect, believed to have abducted the girls from their hostels last year.

Pocock who visited Kaduna state Governor Nasir El-Rufa’i made the remarks at an interactive session with journalists.

He said “Our ability to return the Chibok girls is very limited. Well, after the abduction for some
months it was clear that substantial group of girls were together. It was also clear that they were by no means all of them. It might be a group of 50 or 80; it’s very hard to tell. It presented a terrible dilemma to everybody, attempting to rescue substantial group of girls has two obvious problems; the risk to the attackers and to the girls.”

He said “It was possible that Boko Haram would have killed those girls. And I am not sure whether the military capacity existed for the rescue of these girls. So even though it was possible to say where some of the girls might have been, they were beyond rescue in practical terms. I think the only way for the return of the girls in my personal opinion is through the defeat of Boko Haram.”

He said deployment of security forces to the North-East to deal with insurgency was not enough adding that government must apply economic measures.

The High Commissioner said it was not a better option to invoke dialogue with sect because they didn’t constitute a legitimate government.
“I don’t think we will advocate talking to people that abduct innocent civilians and cut peoples throat on video and show it to the rest of the world. But what we could be talking about is disarmament and rehabilitation process for those who are willing to put down their weapons,” he added.

Man Linked To Chibok Girls’ Abduction Arrested

Posted on July 1, 2015 by Staff Reporter

Nigerian troops have arrested a businessman accused of “participating actively” in Boko Haram’s mass abduction of nearly 300 schoolgirls from the northeastern town of Chibok last year, Nigeria’s Defense Ministry said Tuesday.

Spokesman Maj. Gen. Chris Olukolade said Babuji Ya’ari headed a “terrorists’ intelligence cell” for the Islamic extremists while masquerading as a member of the self-defense Youth Vigilante Group. That news confirms suspicions that the vigilantes have been infiltrated by Boko Haram.

Soldiers have told the Associated Press that some of their comrades also belong to Nigeria’s homegrown Islamic extremist group.

“The arrest of the businessman… has also yielded some vital information and facilitated the arrest of other members of the terrorists’ intelligence cell who are women,” Olukolade said in a statement Tuesday night. He did not say when the arrests were made or how many people were arrested.

He alleged that Ya’ari has coordinated several deadly attacks since 2011 on the northeastern city of Maiduguri, the birthplace of Boko Haram, and spearheaded the May 2014 assassination of the emir of Gwoza, a religious and traditional ruler who was targeted for speaking out against Boko Haram’s extremism.

One arrested woman, Hafsat Bako, confessed to coordinating the payroll for operatives paid a minimum of 10,000 naira (about $50) a job, the defense ministry statement said.

Read More: cbsnews

Buhari, APC Must Rescue Chibok Girls, Provide Uninterrupted Electricity, Others- Ekweremadu

Posted on June 3, 2015 by Staff Reporter

The Deputy President of the Senate, Ike Ekweremadu, has tasked the Peoples Democratic Party National Assembly Members-elect on being a credible opposition. Mr. Ekweremadu said “being in opposition is not a life sentence for any party.”

He spoke at a retreat organised by the Forum of PDP National Assembly members-elect for its members in Port Harcourt on Monday. The retreat was themed, The Role of the Opposition in Facilitating Development and Good Governance.

In a press statement, Mr Ekweremadu said that being in opposition is an opportunity for soul-searching and self-reconstruction. “It is also for providing healthy, robust, vigilant, and responsible opposition, which is critical to democratic growth and good governance,” he said.

“The PDP lawmakers in the 8th National Assembly should not only hold the APC accountable in terms of their list of promises, but also in accordance with the timeline they gave in the course of the campaigns.

“They should be able to bring exchange rates down to one naira to one US dollar, bring back the Chibok Girls, eradicate terrorism and insurgency, stamp out corruption, create two million jobs every year, provide uninterrupted electricity supply, and fulfill other campaign promises or prepare to hand over power to the PDP in 2019…”

Credit: premiumtimesng

Patience Jonathan’s “There Is God” Video is Nigeria’s Most Viewed YouTube Clip Ever – Google

Posted on May 22, 2015 by Staff Reporter

The famous, “There is God,” video skit by the first lady, Patience Jonathan, is Nigeria’s most viewed non-music footage ever on popular online video site, YouTube, the site’s owner, Google, announced Thursday.

The video, published in 2014 by Channels TV, showed Mrs. Jonathan breaking down at a meeting over the abduction of about 276 schoolgirls by Boko Haram insurgents in Chibok, Borno State, in a dramatic display of emotion that drew global attention.

The meeting was the First Lady’s first public acknowledgement of the Chibok abduction, one of
Boko Haram’s mass kidnapping that shocked the world.

Addressing a group of women, and the principal of the secondary school where the girls were seized, Mrs. Jonathan launched into what seemed a stagy show of grief, scolding the principal for her handling of the insurgents’ attack.

She questioned why the principal hesitated to honour her invitation for a meeting in Abuja, and the circumstances of the kidnap.

With not satisfactory response from the principal, the Frist Lady exploded, “All these blood you people are shedding, there is God o, there is God o, God…o….Chai, there is God o,” she lamented repeatedly before dabbing tears from her eyes with a handkerchief.

Mrs. Jonathan’s outburst was also transcribed to imitate her inflection as, “All these blood you people are sharing, diaris God o, diaris God oooo, all this bloods you are sharing, chai, chai, chai diaris God oooh”.

The video drew wide attention across the world, at a time the international community was fixed on how the Nigerian government was responding to the abduction.

The girls remain in captivity more than a year after.

The video ranking was released by Google on Thursday as YouTube celebrates its 10th year anniversary.

The most watched videos in Nigerian were ranked in the music, non-music and advert categories.

Mrs. Jonathan’s video came first in the non-music category.

ECOWAS Laments Chibok Girls Continuous Stay In Captivity

Posted on May 20, 2015 by Staff Reporter

Heads of state and government of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) yesterday regretted that the Chibok girls have remained in the Boko Haram custody despite the rescue of over 1000 people by the Nigerian Army.

It, however, commended the progress recorded in the fight against the insurgents, saying the atrocities of the terrorist group was unsurpassed anywhere in the world.

Chairman of the ECOWAS and president of Ghana, John Mahama stated this during his opening address at the 47th Ordinary Session of the Authority on Tuesday in Accra, Ghana.

He said, “Today, thanks to the African Union and the multinational Joint Task Force formed by the Lake Chad Basin countries, a lot of progress has been made in the fight against Boko Haram.

“We are pleased to note the success in liberating the territories that Boko Haram dominated and the release of over 1000 people mostly women and children.

“The fight is however far from over. We have not yet secured the release of the young Chibok girls and Boko Haram has shown that it still has the capacity to counter attack”.

Noting that atrocities committed by the sect are second to none

Globally, Mahama said, “Last year, Nigeria and Cameroon were caught in the spate of terrible attacks and atrocities by the terrorist group, Boko Haram. They freely attacked with impunity and abducted hundreds of women and children.”

Chibok Girls Might Be Living In Bunkers- Borno Elder

Posted on May 20, 2015 by Staff Reporter

The Secretary of Borno Elders Forum, Dr Gubio Bulama, on Tuesday said there was general suspicion that Boko Haram insurgents were hiding abducted Chibok girls in bunkers in Sambisa forest.

Bulama stated this while presenting a paper at a Post-2015 Election Conference organised by the Savanah Centre for Diplomacy, Democracy and Democracy in Abuja.

He said that the genuine fear in Borno was that the insurgents had built bunkers in the vast forest, where they may be hiding the girls.

He urged the military to view that possibility with seriousness in its ongoing assault on the insurgents in that enclave.

He said, “the genuine fear which needs to be viewed seriously is whether bunkers might have been built within the vast forest.

“It should not be forgotten that at the initial stage, the insurgents were able to build bunkers large enough to accommodate up to 500 people right inside Maiduguri, at Bulabulin Ngarannan Ward.

“If they were able to do that in Maiduguri, when they find themselves in the forest without any disturbance, they can build bunkers and this is our genuine fear.

“We are calling on the military to look into the possibility of the Boko Haram having serious bunkers, and we are even suspecting that the Chibok girls are living in bunkers.”

No fewer than 219 girls were abducted from the Government Girls’ Secondary School in Chibok, Borno, on April 14, 2014.

The military had confirmed that none of the girls was among the hundreds of female hostages recently rescued from Boko Haram’s stronghold in the past few weeks.

Bulama said it was unfortunate that the insurgents were allowed to occupy the forest for a long time, which provided them the opportunity to study and master its entire terrain.

He added that the terrorists were also known to have dug tunnels to enable them move from house to house.

“So, having been left unchallenged for such a long time, such possibilities cannot be ruled out, and this poses serious obstacles within the forest.

“The insurgents use their bases in the Sambisa forest to launch deadly attacks and make quick retreat to their base.

“This enabled them to capture and take over control of local government areas bordering Nigeria and Cameroun, Chad and Niger,” he said.

The Borno elder said that Boko Haram almost succeeded in achieving their aim of encircling Maiduguri, the Borno capital, by cutting it off from all direction.

According to him, they were within 20 kilometres to Maiduguri from all directions except the Maiduguri-Kano axis, “which they infested and unleashed horrendous ambushes from time to time”.

He insisted that the Federal Government must first defeat Boko Haram by totally recapturing the forest from them before embarking on reconstruction and rehabilitation of the North-East.

Credit: NAN

Chibok Girls Might Be Living In Bunkers – Borno Elder

Posted on May 19, 2015 by Staff Reporter

The Secretary of Borno Elders Forum, Dr Gubio Bulama, on Tuesday said there was general suspicion that Boko Haram insurgents were hiding abducted Chibok girls in bunkers in Sambisa forest.

Bulama stated this while presenting a paper at a Post-2015 Election Conference organised by the Savanah Centre for Diplomacy, Democracy and Democracy in Abuja.

He said that the genuine fear in Borno was that the insurgents had built bunkers in the vast forest, where they may be hiding the girls.

He urged the military to view that possibility with seriousness in its ongoing assault on the insurgents in that enclave.

He said, “the genuine fear which needs to be viewed seriously is whether bunkers might have been built within the vast forest.

“It should not be forgotten that at the initial stage, the insurgents were able to build bunkers large enough to accommodate up to 500 people right inside Maiduguri, at Bulabulin Ngarannan Ward.

“If they were able to do that in Maiduguri, when they find themselves in the forest without any disturbance, they can build bunkers and this is our genuine fear.

“We are calling on the military to look into the possibility of the Boko Haram having serious bunkers, and we are even suspecting that the Chibok girls are living in bunkers.’’

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) recalls that no fewer than 219 girls were abducted from the Government Girls’ Secondary School in Chibok, Borno, on April 14, 2014.

The military had confirmed that none of the girls was among the hundreds of female hostages recently rescued from Boko Haram’s stronghold in the past few weeks.

Bulama said it was unfortunate that the insurgents were allowed to occupy the forest for a long time, which provided them the opportunity to study and master its entire terrain.

He added that the terrorists were also known to have dug tunnels to enable them move from house to house.

“So, having been left unchallenged for such a long time, such possibilities cannot be ruled out, and this poses serious obstacles within the forest.

“The insurgents use their bases in the Sambisa forest to launch deadly attacks and make quick retreat to their base.

“This enabled them to capture and take over control of local government areas bordering Nigeria and Cameroun, Chad and Niger,’’ he said.

The Borno elder said that Boko Haram almost succeeded in achieving their aim of encircling Maiduguri, the Borno capital, by cutting it off from all direction.

According to him, they were within 20 kilometres to Maiduguri from all directions except the Maiduguri-Kano axis, “which they infested and unleashed horrendous ambushes from time to time’’.

He insisted that the Federal Government must first defeat Boko Haram by totally recapturing the forest from them before embarking on reconstruction and rehabilitation of the North-East.

Lagos To Abuja Trekker Leads Chibok Girls Solidarity Walk Today

Posted on May 5, 2015 by Staff Reporter

In continuation of the campaign for the rescue of the Chibok girls, 33 year old Hasheem Suleiman, will today lead a walk from the Berger Junction to Unity Fountain, Abuja to press home the need to rescue the school girls from Chibok, abducted over one year ago.

Speaking at the Unity Fountain, venue for the sit-out of the #BringBackOurGirls yesterday, Maryam Ekunaiye who invited the BBOG to the walk-out stated that Suleiman will be embarking on the trek as a solidarity campaign for the demand for the rescue of the Chibok girls.

Recall that Suleiman, had trekked from Lagos to Abuja to celebrate the victory of the President-elect Muhammadu Buhari and arrived the 20th of April, to a rousing crowd of Abuja residents who trooped out to catch a glimpse of him.

Suleiman had vowed to embark on a solo trek from Lagos to Abuja if All Progressives Congress (APC) presidential candidate Muhammadu Buhari emerged as the winner of the March 28th general election.

Suleiman’s arrival in Abuja caused traffic jams along the Kubwa expressway where thousands of fans gathered to see him and tomorrow’s walk is set to witness the same traffic with a large number of persons indicating interest to trek with him.

Meanwhile, the BBOG group has commended the military for its recent feet in rescuing some girls, women and children in the fight against the Boko Haram sect at the Sambisa Forest, urging them to continue the fight until the abducted Chibok girls are rescued.

“ We are commending the military for the rescue of the girls, women and children. We are hoping that they will continue in this feet. We hope that soon, we will hear the good news that the Chibok girls are rescued too,” a member of the group, Dr Emman Shehu.

Shehu however, questioned the authenticity of the videos released by the military, showing its fight in Sambisa; and urged the military to bring out credible videos.

that would show the bombardment of the enemies and not the ones showing unattacked enemies running to safety.

Chibok Girls Not Part Of Rescued Group

Posted on April 29, 2015 by Staff Reporter

Troops rescued nearly 300 girls and women during an offensive on Tuesday against Boko Haram militants in the northeastern Sambisa Forest, the military said, but they did not include any of the schoolgirls kidnapped from Chibok a year ago.

The army announced the rescue on Twitter and said it was screening and interviewing the abducted girls and women.

Troops destroyed and cleared four militant camps and rescued 200 abducted girls and 93 women “but they are not the Chibok girls,” army spokesperson Colonel Sani Usman told The Associated Press.

Nearly 300 schoolgirls were kidnapped from the north-eastern town of Chibok by the extremist group Boko Haram in April 2014. The militants took the schoolgirls in trucks into the Sambisa Forest. Dozens escaped, but 219 remain missing.

Credit: AP

Chibok Girls Rescued? Nigerian Military Rescues 200 Girls From Sambisa Forest

Posted on April 28, 2015 by Staff Reporter

Nigerian troops have rescued 200 girls from Sambisa forest, the notorious hideout of the insurgent group, Boko Haram, the defence headquarters said Tuesday.

The girls were found Tuesday afternoon alongside 93 women who were also rescued, the military said. The military however said it could not confirm whether the girls were students abducted more than a year ago from a secondary school in Chibok, Borno State.

The girls were being “screened and profiled”, the military said. “Troops this afternoon rescued 200 girls & 93 women from Sambisa Forest. We cannot confirm if the #ChibokGirls are in this group,” the military said in a series of tweets.

“Troops captured and destroyed 3 terrorists camps including the notorious Tokumbere camp in the Sambisa Forest Operation.

“The freed persons are now being screened and profiled,” while promising to provide more detail on the operation later.”

MURIC Gives Okupe Knocks For Blaming Jonathan’s Defeat On Chibok Girls’ Abduction

Posted on April 21, 2015 by Staff Reporter

The Muslim Rights Concern (MURIC), has lampooned the Senior Special Assistant to President Goodluck Jonathan on Public Affairs, Dr. Doyin Okupe, for attributing the defeat of his principal in the March 28 elections to his failure to rescue the Chibok girls.

Okupe had last week attempted to link the president’s failed re-election bid to an international conspiracy and abduction of over 200 female students of Government Secondary School, Chibok, in Borno State, claiming the incident was orchestrated to portray the administration as incompetent.

In its reaction, MURIC, through its Executive Director, Prof. Ishaq Akintola, in a statement on Monday, said that it was unfortunate for Okupe to be playing on the intelligence of Nigerians by saying that the girls abducted over a year ago by the Boko Haram insurgents was staged in order to paint a bad image of President Jonathan’s administration.

“While we appreciate President Jonathan’s timely act of conceding defeat in the presidential election, we hasten to assert that this single act alone is not enough to obliterate his litany of abnormalities in governance. Doyin Okupe’s attempt at praise-singing his employer has only succeeded in jogging our memory. Nigerians cannot forget so quickly”, Akintola said.

While listing some of the sins of the president, which came to haunt him at the polls, the MURIC boss pointed out that Mr. Jonathan paid the price for allowing his wife to usurp his executive powers apart from the continual threats by his Ijaw kinsmen among others.

He added that even a state governor was forced to drive himself from Kano to the South because his aircraft was not allowed to take off with security agencies used to subvert legitimate exercises embarked upon by the opposition while they openly supported illegal acts of members of the ruling party including the Buhari “certificategate”, which rather discredited the army.

Mr. Akintola, therefore, urged the incoming administration to learn from the mistakes of the Jonathan administration and that President-elect Muhammadu Buhari must rise above religious persecution and clannishness by carrying along all religious and ethnic segments of the country.

New York’s Empire State Building Lit In Red & Purple In Honour Of Chibok Girls #Photo

Posted on April 15, 2015 by Staff Reporter

The world remembers OUR CHIBOK GIRLS which is …Wonderful!

We Would Bring Back The Chibok Girls Before May 29 Handover Date – Presidency #BringBackOurGirls

Posted on April 15, 2015 by Staff Reporter

The Nigerian presidency has assured that the over 200 schoolgirls abducted from Chibok in Borno state 365 days ago will be rescued before the May 29 handover date. Speaking on the anniversary of the abduction of the girls, the National Security Adviser (NSA) Col. Sambo Dasuki gave the assurance today that the Federal Government was making every effort to ensure that the girls along with every other Nigerian abducted by Boko Haram terrorists are rescued.

Dasuki also promised that Sambisa Forest, the fortress of Boko Haram terrorists and one of their last remaining camps will be stormed and liberated before the May 29, 2015 presidential hand-over date. “Right now, all Boko Haram camps except Sambisa Forest has been destroyed,” the NSA said.

According to him, the forest would have since been liberated but for the unfavourable weather condition prevailing in the area as every needed reconnaissance activity and necessary deployment of troops have since been concluded for the exercise.

3 Girls Who Escaped From Boko Haram’s Mass Abduction Have A Wonderful Message For The World

Posted on April 15, 2015 by Staff Reporter

Al Jazeera spoke with the girls, who were abducted along with more than 200 of their classmates before jumping off of the trucks of their kidnappers.

The three girls are now attending college at the University of Nigeria in Yola.

When asked if they want to go back to their hometown of Chibok, all three girls say yes.

“I want some changes in Chibok, like the environment,” a girl called Blessing said. “I want to be a lawyer. I want to fight for justice. “

Another, Mary, says she wants to ” become a medical doctor. To go to Chibok and build clinics and hospitals because we don’t have educated doctors there. I will try hard.”

The third, Deborah had a profound message: “It was said that if you educate a girl you educate the whole nation. It is very important. They haven’t stopped me. … That’s why I am going back when I graduate. The education there is very poor. So I want to help by building a school. I want to empower women by creating centres that will teach them things.”

The military conflict in the region makes it difficult to search for the captured children, and there are only rumors and brief sightings to go on. The BBC reports that their classmates are likely being taught the Koran and married off to members of Boko Haram.

Nevertheless, the ones who got away remain hopeful.

Deborah also sent a message to captive girls: “The message is be brave and courageous. Be a hard worker and always believe in God, that whatever you are going through, God is there for you, he will help you. Have ambition that you are great and you were made to be a great person.”

Credit: yahoo

The Thoughts Of A Kidnapped #ChibokGirl One Year After By Obayomi Abiola Benjamin

Posted on April 14, 2015 by Staff Reporter

She woke up in the middle of the night; the thoughts of home filled her disturbed heart. She cried for freedom from the innermost part of her being, but the fear of her abductors silenced her. How long more are we going to continue in this bondage, she thought. The warmth of her mother’s embrace she as missed, the instructions and corrections of her father constantly flashed through her mind. The noise of her siblings playing in the courtyard at the cool of the evening never ceases from her memories. She has really missed home. Nights upon nights in the middle of nowhere, the only thing we hear are deep silence in the night and wicked voices of our abductors in the morning.
How can they abandon us to suffer like this for so long, is anyone coming to rescue us? How much longer do we have to wait? We have lost touch with our physical environment. The thought of trying to escape is not even an option for us. What if our kidnappers; gruesome and wicked human beings; catches us in the process of escaping? We might be killed in the process. Now, a whole year has gone, and still the hope of going home becomes slimmer and slimmer every day.
How did we even get here in the first place? They told us education is good. They said it is the safest way out of poverty. They even say education we liberate us from the bondage of the mind. And so, we decided to give it a try. But see where our pursuit of knowledge has landed us. We were abducted while trying to be free. Our own pursuit of knowledge has not freed us, but rather put us in physical bondage. Perhaps, if we were not seeking to be educated, and had stayed in the comfort of our parents homes, maybe we would not have been abducted. Our kidnappers constantly say to us that Western education is forbidden. They say the West corrupt our minds through westernization. Now here we find ourselves in this bondage. Maybe our abductors are right anyway. *deep sigh*
We heard there is a new President-Elect. Our abductors never cease to talk about him. Is there any hope that we would be rescued soon? Will the incoming administration fail us like the outgoing administration? There are times I think of that primary role of government of securing lives and properties of the citizenry. I still remember very well how my government teacher used to stress this particular role of government to us in class. But this was not the case when I and my other friends were abducted a year ago. We were left all alone in the middle of the night with little or no security protection. We all were innocent girls, defenceless. And the assailants came and took us all away. Oh, what a shame on this government.
When will this torture end? Our abductors constantly take advantage of us. Some of us don’t even know what time of the day it is anymore. We can barely remember our birthdays. In the coming days, we can only hope the new administration will come to our rescue. While it may seem that the whole country has moved on, and forgotten about us, the remaining 219 of us in this lion’s den have not, our parents have not either. We cannot sincerely wait any longer, we want to go home. These are the thoughts of our heart.

Obayomi Abiola Benjamin

@abibeo_oba

Views expressed are solely that of author and does not represent the views of www.omojuwa.com nor its associates

Chibok Girls May Have Been Slaughtered in Bama – UNHCR #BringBackOurGirls

Posted on April 6, 2015 by Staff Reporter

An official of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), Mr. Raad Zeid al Hussein, believes that the over 200 Chibok schoolgirls abducted by Boko Haram a year ago may have had a sad ending.

He premised his verdict on the fact that the girls may have been part of the women who were murdered by the insurgents before they fled from Bama and other towns in Borno State just before the Nigerian military and allied forces from Chad and Niger recovered the territories.

Scores of abducted women who had been forcibly married by Boko Haram fighters were slaughtered last month as the military advanced towards Bama and other towns to recapture the territories.

Eyewitnesses said that the women were killed by the insurgents to prevent them from getting remarried to what they termed “infidels” after their release.

Aligning with the report on the murder of scores of women, Al Hussein said last week that Boko Haram murdered people who were captives, including women and girls who were taken as “wives” in their flight against the advancing forces.

According to the senior official with the UNHCR, various reports which arrived at his department in Geneva showed that the recent recovery of territories in northeastern Nigeria “has brought to light macabre scenes of mass graves and more obvious signs of killings by Boko Haram”.

These reports include the “…murder of the wives of combatants, women and girls actually held in slavery,” he said without elaborating.

The use of children by Boko Haram as “expendable cannon meat” and human bombs could, if confirmed, constitute war crimes and crimes against humanity, the official added.

Al Hussein also said there are “persistent and credible reports” of serious violations by the Nigerian security forces and other countries in their fight against Boko Haram, and called for “complete and fully transparent investigations” by the authorities.

The report by UNHRC may explain the mystery surrounding the whereabouts of the Chibok girls despite the recapture of Gwoza, the de facto headquarters of the terrorists’ caliphate, as well as the disappearance of the sect’s leader Abubakar Shekau.

Military sources, who spoke to THISDAY at the weekend in Maiduguri, said neither the girls nor Shekau had been sighted since the liberation of Gwoza, which was the epicentre of the sect’s operations.

The Nigerian military on the eve of the presidential and National Assembly elections had announced the recapture of the strategic town but was silent on the abducted Chibok girls and seemingly elusive Shekau.

The Director of Defence Information (DDI), Maj-Gen. Chris Olukolade, had in a joint press conference with the spokespersons of the Nigerian Army, Navy and Air Force, confirmed the recapture of the former terrorist stronghold.

Many were however disappointed to find out that contrary to expectations before the liberation of Gwoza, there was no mention of the girls or Shekau who is believed to be on the run.

Military sources, who spoke to THISDAY, said the mystery surrounding the Chibok girls was yet to be unraveled.

However, the strongest lead now is that the girls might have been amongst the unfortunate women who were slaughtered and dumped inside wells in Bama.

“As for Shekau, you are aware that the man suspected to have been killed or fatally wounded two years ago and his double was confirmed killed a year later, and this current impostor is yet to be fully unmasked.

“Unfortunately, on the Chibok girls, there is a strong lead that they might be among the women who were slaughtered by the fleeing terrorists and dumped into those wells in Bama.

“Remember the girls were said to have been forcibly converted to Islam and married off as trophies to those terrorists. We have a strong suspicion that they are part of those women butchered in Bama and other parts of the territories, which were under their captivity.

“Also, some of these terrorists are currently retreating to the border towns and some have successfully mingled into various towns and villages,” the source said.

Another senior military officer also informed THISDAY that while the troops had freed some women from Gwoza and other surrounding towns, they could not however ascertain if any of the Chibok girls were among them.

He said interrogations were ongoing, as there were other women who were released from the towns recaptured from the Boko Haram terrorists other than the Chibok girls.

He also explained that it is proving difficult to ascertain if the women massacred and dumped in the wells were actually the Chibok girls because the bodies were in various states of decomposition by the time they were discovered.

“Even other communities whose women and girls were kidnapped are not comfortable with the attention being given to the Chibok girls, while leaving their cases in the dark,” he said.

Last week, the Nigerian military confirmed the rescue of a large number of vulnerable women and elderly locked up by the retreating Boko Haram terrorists in the liberated town of Gwoza.

Similarly, THISDAY learnt that sustained aerial surveillance of Gwoza and other liberated areas, as well as intensive mop-up operations to clear out the remnants of Boko Haram insurgents was ongoing.

On Sunday, there were several aerial operations in support of the ground troops to consolidate the liberated towns and villages.

In this regard, Sambisa forest which straddles four liberated local government areas of Bama, Mongonu, Konduga and Gwoza, was being bombarded from the air to knock out any terrorist camp and installations.

“What I can tell you is that there is very little presence of the terrorists in those areas but we have intensified the bombardments,” a military source revealed.

Despite the bombardment of Sambisa forest, at least four people were killed Saturday when suspected Boko Haram fighters raided a local market in a village near Maiduguri, security sources said.

Scores of Boko Haram gunmen stormed Kayamla village, 20 kilometres (12.5 miles) from Maiduguri, capital of restive Borno State, and opened fire on a weekly market, killing four traders, a senior security official in Maiduguri told AFP.

“It was obvious they were looking for food to replenish their supplies because they didn’t target residents as they normally would,” the official said.

The attack on the village was the sixth in as many months, according to vigilantes in the area.

Troops and vigilantes mobilised from the nearby town of Konduga to the village but the attackers left before the troops arrived, said Abubakar Sani, who was among the vigilantes that accompanied troops to the village.

“When we reached Kayamla the gunmen had left,” Sani said.

“We found four dead traders in the deserted market and we were told by residents that the attackers took away food supplies and livestock,” he said.

This was the first Boko Haram raid in a few days, although an explosion outside a bus station in Gombe State on Thursday that killed 10 people was blamed on the Islamists.

Sweeping offensives against the Islamists by a regional coalition involving troops from Nigeria, Chad, Niger and Cameroun appear to have substantially weakened Boko Haram’s capabilities.

Meanwhile, leaders of Central and West African states will hold a summit on April 8 to try to draw up a joint strategy against the threat posed by Boko Haram, a statement from the organisers said on Sunday.

It will be the first meeting of its kind since Nigeria’s election a week ago which was won by Muhammadu Buhari, a former military leader who has vowed to rid his country of the “terror” of Boko Haram.

The meeting in Malabo, capital of Equatorial Guinea, is being jointly organised by the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) and the Economic Community of Central African States (ECCAS).

“In the face of the mounting and increasingly bloody attacks by the fundamentalists against Nigeria, Niger, Cameroun and Chad and the serious consequences for these countries, and the real risk of destabilising Western and Central Africa, the two organisations have decided to take action,” the ECOWAS statement said

Source – www.Thisdaylive.com

#BBOG Group Marks Anniversary Of Chibok Girls Abduction, Starts Search For #ChibokGirlsAmbassadors

Posted on April 5, 2015 by Staff Reporter

The #BringBackOurGirls group will soon commence activities to mark the one year anniversary of the abduction of over 200 schoolgirls forcefully taken away on April 14, 2014 by Boko Haram insurgents.

According to a release signed by the group’s coordinators, former Education Minister, Oby Ezekwesili and Hadiza Bala Usman, the group will, from April 8, start a Global Week of Action to usher in a number of activities to commemorate the day.

One of the activities planned for the commemoration is a search for 219 Chibok Ambassadors who will be presented to the world on April 14 as they join the #BBOG all around the world in the #GlobalSchoolGirlsMarch to march for the girls in Abuja.

According to the organisers, the Ambassadors who should be girls between the ages of 10 – 18 would serve as goodwill ambassadors acting as advocates of the abducted girls.

“It is a strategic initiative that pulls in more deliberately, their generation into the cause of our Chibok girls,” the statement said.

Read the rest of the statement below:

“During our Special Global Week Of Action commemorating our #ChibokGirls’ abduction, we shall like to have all our friends across Nigeria and the world to join in and support our activities in their different communities, cities and countries.

The effort of every man and woman, far and near, in this particular period will be critical in driving the required renewed demand and pressure to find our girls and bring them home to their parents.

Wherever you are, we call on you today to join in; to rally afresh and to mobilize resources to bring our #ChibokGirls back on the front burner. A day in the captivity of terrorists is agonizingly dreadful enough. One year is too much and too difficult to imagine. Our #ChibokGirls are innocent global citizens that the world must ensure are #NeverToBeForgotten,” the statement said.

The group called on Pres. Goodluck Jonathan and Pres.-Elect, Muhammadu Buhari to the rescue of the Chibok girls at the very top of their agenda as power changes hands between both leaders.

“While congratulating both the current president and incoming one, the president-elect, we demand that both prioritise the rescue of our missing 219 #ChibokGirls as a topmost agenda during this transition period, and to work together in assiduously in unison to see that our missing girls return before the handover date of 29 May 2015,” it said.

——

Find below on our website the Program of Action and how you can participate:

http://www.bringbackourgirls.ng/commemoration-form/

There is also the Chibok Girls Ambassadors. Schoolgirls aged 10 -18 who would volunteer to stand for our missing Chibok girls. Details are available at this link:

http://www.bringbackourgirls.ng/fuel-the-movement/ambassadors-form/

Schools would also be able to participate by organizing marches called the Global School Girl March. Details are available at this link:

http://bringbackourgirls.us/school-girl-march/

Credit – http://ynaija.com

Chibok Girls Are Held Under Tight Security In Gwoza, Says Freed Hostage

Posted on March 26, 2015 by Staff Reporter

A woman, Mbutu Papka, who was recently freed after eight months from the captivity of the Boko Haram sect has said that the more than 200 school girls captured by the sect are in Gwoza town. She said she was held in the same location as the abducted Chibok girls.

Mbutu Papka, 56, who was kidnapped in July 2014 and held by the insurgents for eight months in two locations, said confidently that the abducted girls were being held under very tight security in a house in Gwoza.

Papka said nobody is allowed near the fenced building where the abducted girls are being held under 24-hour security. Even the heavily armed guards, who keep watch over the girls round the clock, it was learnt, are only allowed to go into the house to deliver food, water and other supplies to them.

The woman was seized along with others when Boko Haram attacked Gwoza on July 4, 2014 and taken to Mdita, a remote village near the notorious Sambisa Forest, bordering Askira Uba, Damboa and Gwoza.

Read More: Cable

Chibok Girls Are Alive- Jonathan

Posted on March 20, 2015 by Staff Reporter

In an exclusive interview with the BBC’s Will Ross in the capital Abuja, President Jonathan said: “I’m very hopeful that it will not take us more than a month to recover the old territories that hitherto have been in their [Boko Haram’s] hands.”

Earlier this week, the Nigerian army said the militants no longer controlled any urban centres in Yobe and Adamawa – two of the three worst-affected states in the north-east.

Recently, the military also pledged that Borno state, the birthplace of Boko Haram, would soon be freed.

However, President Jonathan admitted in the interview that the authorities had “under-estimated” the militants and had initially lacked the resources to fight them.

Chibok Girls Could Have Been Rescued, Says Obasanjo

Posted on March 16, 2015 by Staff Reporter

President Goodluck Jonathan’s corrupt and incompetent government failed to act quickly enough to save more 200 schoolgirls abducted by Boko Haram last year, former President Olusegun Obasanjo said. He said the government did not recognize the threat Boko Haram posed until it was too late, calling the reaction “lukewarm at best.” Jonathan took 18 days to contact the governor of the province from which the girls had been taken, he added.

“The government did not believe that there had been an abduction for some time,” Obasanjo told a panel at the Global Education and Skills Forum in Dubai, the New Indian Express reported. “If that had happened maybe the girls would have been rescued.”

Read More: ibtimes