Nigerian Govt Negotiating With Boko Haram To Release More Chibok Girls

The Federal Government on Monday said that talks are ongoing for the release of more school girls that were abducted by Boko Haram insurgents from the Government Secondary School Chibok, Borno State.

Senior Special Adviser to the President – Media and Publicity – Femi Adesina gave the hint shortly after delivering lectures at the Nigerian Army School of Public Relations and Information’s (NASPRI) annual media workshop for Defence Correspondents and Commanding Officers.

According to the spokesman, the President said that with talks still ongoing, many more abducted girls can be recovered.

On how many could be expected to be released, Adesina said “just know that there are talks still ongoing and many more can be recovered. The released Chibok girls are being rehabilitated, physically, psychologically in all ways, and their education will be restarted.”

He debunked allegations that the government knows the sponsors of Boko Haram, saying that if they knew the sponsors, then the sponsors would not be spared.

Adesina’s comments came shortly after admonishing the military on the need to be more open in their relationship with the media to ensure that frictions in information management are avoided.

He lamented the mutual distrust between the media and the military, noting that the military must allow the media controlled access to information to enable it work effectively.

“If we don’t tell our side of the story, shame on us. Reporters are like alligators. You don’t have to love them, but you do have to feed them,” Adesina said quoting an American general.

He said that it was important that the military feed the media with information, insisting that like alligators, a hungry media is “doubly dangerous.”

A statement earlier by Chief of Army Staff, Lieutenant General Tukur Buratai, who was represented by Major General Peter Bojie, referred to the actions of Boko Haram terrorists as having the potential of destroying the nation economically and socially, if the group is not completely wiped out.

The statement called on well-meaning Nigerians to cooperate with the military and other security agencies by way of providing timely information on suspicious activities of individuals or groups in their domains.

Culled from: Sun Newspaper