Litany Of Boko Haram Abductions: Sect Abducted 592 In 2014

At least 592 were kidnapped by the Islamic fundamentalist group, Boko Haram in 2014. They were mostly girls, boys and women.

Lt. Col., 15 Others Jailed Over Chibok Girls’ Abduction

Chibok School Girls

The  Nigerian Army has sentenced three officers and 13 other soldiers to two years’ imprisonment each   over the April 14, 2014 abduction of over 200 schoolchildren from their hostel in Chibok, Borno State, by Boko Haram insurgents.

Chadian Mercenaries Annex, Administer Nigerian Border Towns

Some Nigerians fleeing the insurgency in the Northeast have relived their experiences in the town and villages occupied by the Boko Haram insurgents. The insurgents taken over many communities in Borno and Yobe states. Among them are Chadian mercenaries who now run some border towns.

BBOG Group To Storm Chadian Embassy Over Alleged Complicity With Boko Haram

The #BringBackOurGirls group will today storm the Chadian Embassy in Abuja to protest against the alleged supply of weapons by its government official.

Why Is The US Military So Interested in Chad?

Brigadier General James Linder and other military officials at the closing ceremony for a US-led international training mission for African militaries (Reuters/Joe Penney)

Admit it. You don't know where Chad is. You know it's in Africa, of course. But beyond that? Maybe with a map of the continent and by some process of elimination you could come close. But you'd probably pick Sudan or maybe the Central African Republic.

Boko Haram Militants Retake Chibok Again

Boko Haram militants have seized Chibok, a town in Borno State, where nearly 300 schoolgirls were abducted by the same group on April 14.

Credibility Crisis, Confusion Over BokoHaram’s Ceasefire Denial

NIGERIA’S global credibility has taken a big dip following its poor handling of the ceasefire deal with the Boko Haram, insurgents. The fighters have denied any kind of talks with the Federal Government for the release of the Chibok girls and an eventual ceasefire soon.

Boko Haram's Leader - 'Shekau' Appears In New Video, Denies Ceasefire Claim

Boko Haram has denied claims by Nigeria's government that it has agreed to a ceasefire and will release more than 200 abducted schoolgirls.

Outrage In Military Circles Over Plan To Court Martial Lt. Colonel, 37 Others

SOME soldiers and officers are said to be outraged and bitter over the decision of the General Court Martial, convened by the Army authorities, to try a Lieutenant-Colonel (names withheld) and 37 soldiers for mutiny.

3 Army Officers, 13 Soldiers To Be Court Martialed Over Abducted Chibok Girls

The Nigerian Army has concluded arrangements to arraign 16 soldiers over the April 14, 2014, abduction of over 200 students of the Government Secondary School, Chibok in Borno State.

Three of the soldiers are officers while the remaining 13 soldiers belong to other ranks.
Our correspondent gathered in Abuja on Monday that barring any last minute change, they would appear before the General Court Martial at the Maxwell Khobe Military Cantonment, Rukuba, Jos in Plateau State after the Sallah holidays.

The officers are Lieutenant Col. A. O. Ojo, Capt. O. O. Ogunrinde, and 2nd Lieutenant V.I. Godknows.
The 16 are among 117 soldiers facing a GCM convened by the General Officer Commanding 1 Division of the Army in Kaduna, Maj.Gen. K. C. Osuji, on August 6, 2014.

A source said their trial would take place at the headquarters of the 3rd Armoured Division, Rukuba in Jos for security reasons.
The GCM panel comprises Col. J.J. Ogunlade (President); Col. J. O. Sokoya, Col. M. Kadiri, Col. M. W. Abubakar, Col. A. A. Bamgbose, Col. A. Garba and Col E.M. Albara.
Lt. Colonels B. Garke and O. S. Obot are the waiting members of the panel which has Captain A. Mohammed as the judge advocate and Lt. G. B. Suleiman as the liaison officer.

Investigations on Monday revealed that Ojo, who was the Unit Commander, in Biu, was summoned to the GCM in relation with the conflict in the number of girls said to have been abducted by Boko Haram insurgents and those rescued at the time of the incident.

The officer is also being charged for alleged failure to reinforce the Chibok community when the incident occurred.
It was gathered that the officers were being charged for failure to perform military duty, an offence that attracts
a maximum of two years’ imprisonment.

A source, who confided in our correspondent said that the Lt. Colonel had stated that the number he gave was not the one that was used in a statement by the Defence Headquarters on the reported rescue of some of the abducted girls.

The said statement was later withdrawn.
The source said, “The Lt. Colonel is being charged for allegedly giving information without verification, negligent performance of military duty and not going to reinforce the place where the incident took place. The charge attracts a maximum of two years’ imprisonment.”

He also said that Ojo had not completely taken over from his predecessor and had complained about the number of men and equipment on the ground when the abduction took place two days after his arrival in Biu for the mission.

It was stated that the shortage of men was shown by the fact that only the 2nd Lt. and 13 soldiers were in Chibok in spite of the fact that the place had a heavy presence of insurgents.

It was gathered that the other soldiers led by Godknows were on duty at the headquarters of the Chibok Local Government Area on the day of the
incident.

Another source told our correspondent that the Army was not notified of the examinations that were going on in the school.
The source said that a statement by the Principal of the School, Asabe Kwambura, corroborated the soldiers’
claim.

Investigations revealed that the soldiers left their location in Chibok to lay in ambush when they received a report that insurgents were planning to attack them on the night the schoolgirls were seized.

They were said to have lost a soldier during the face-off with the Boko Haram members.
The source said, “Only Godknows and 13 soldiers were on duty in Chibok. They were not stationed within the school. No soldier was stationed in the school and they didn’t know that the school was in session.
“Nobody notified these people that the girls were having an examination in the school. Even the principal admitted in her statement that the soldiers were not notified.
“They were told that their camp was about to be attacked so they went out to lay in ambush for insurgents. One of the soldiers died.
“But I can confirm to you that the Army has concluded preparations to arraign them.”

The abduction of the schoolgirls sparked global outrage with world leaders calling on the terrorist group and the Federal Government to ensure their safe release.

  - Punch

The Boko Haram Insurgency, By TheNumbers - The Washington Post

The abduction in April of nearly 300 schoolgirls from Chibok, a northeastern Nigerian village, by fighters of the extremist group Boko Haram received wide attention from social media campaigners and the news media.

Ahmed Salkida, Nigerian Journalist Trusted By Boko Haram Insists Abubakar Shekau Is “Alive And Well”

Ahmed Salkida, a Dubai-based Nigerian journalist who reportedly maintains communication with some leaders of the Islamist insurgent group Boko Haram, claimes that the sect’s leader, Abubakar Shekau, is alive and well. Mr. Salkida denied reports asserting that Nigerian troops had killed the mercurial and fiendish Shekau, the speaker and voice in numerous videos released by Boko Haram.

Ahmed Salkida, in a tweet also dismissed media reports that the Nigerian government was negotiating with Boko Haram for the release of more than 200 schoolgirls kidnapped in mid-April by Boko Haram militants in Chibok, Borno State. The reporter’s tweet also described as untrue reports that the International Red Cross (IRC) was working on a deal that would persuade Boko Haram to free the abducted Chibok schoolgirls in exchange for the release of detained Islamist insurgents in the custody of Nigerian security agencies.

SaharaReporters had earlier published a report to the effect that a Nigerian intelligence source revealed that the person whose dead body is seen in photos circulating in news reports was not Shekau but one “Mohammed Bashir”.

An ntelligence source stated that the dead Islamist figure, who bore a striking semblance to Mr. Shekau, was indeed a look-alike who appeared in videos released by the Islamist sect.

Mr. Salkida’s tweet appeared to confirm that the Boko Haram “officer” killed by Nigerian soldiers in Konduga was a different person from Mr. Shekau. In fact, Nigerian security officials have maintained for months that Mr. Shekau was dead, apparently killed by his own disaffected lieutenants in an internal rivalry for control of the terrorist organization.

However, Salkida sent out another tweet today which appeared to cast doubt on the fact that Shekau indeed had a double.

A confidential debriefing document by the Nigerian army obtained last week also acknowledged that Mr. Shekau stayed permanently in his holdout in Sambisa Forest and was not in the habit of venturing out to battles. Item “R” of the document stated, ”Shekau has his wife and 2 children in Sambisa Forest. He is Kanuri, he speaks Hausa and he does not travel.”

Meanwhile, a Nigerian security source told SaharaReporters that there was evidence of a growing frustration among insurgent fighters and a simmering power struggle between some of the sect’s top figures. He disclosed that some of the insurgents who surrendered to Nigerian troops last week in Konduga have told army interrogators that they decided to give up after their commander executed two of their leaders who led the failed attack on Konduga. The source told SaharaReporters that the insurgents, who are being kept in one of the barracks in Maiduguri, told interrogators that they fled from a camp near Bama after their commander shot dead two insurgent field officers “for losing valuable weapons to infidels.” He added that the surrendering militants claimed they were reluctant and small-time fighters who were recently recruited from towns and villagers taken by Boko Haram.

The insurgents’ foiled attempt to seize Konduga, which was a first step in their plan to attack the Borno State capital, Maiduguri, is being seen as a possible turning point in the war between the insurgents and increasingly confident Nigerian soldiers. Nigerian troops killed hundreds of insurgents in the battle for Konduga and also seized an armored tank and several vehicles from the Boko Haram fighters. Incidentally, Boko Haram insurgents had originally captured the tank and vehicles from the Nigerian army in previous battles.

For close to two weeks, the insurgents have not been able to reproduce their earlier streak of victories over Nigerian troops. Instead, they have been routed in Konduga and driven out of Baza in Adamawa State.

  - SR

Red Cross Brokering Secret Prisoner Swap Deal With Boko Haram To Free Abducted Chibok Girls

Abducted Chibok School Girls

The International Committee of the Red Cross has become involved in a secret prisoner swap deal to secure the release of the Nigerian schoolgirls kidnapped by Boko Haram, the Telegraph has learned.

Boko Haram Members Marrying Abducted Girls – Watchlist Report

Boys and girls abducted by Boko Haram, including Christian girls, have been forced to convert to Islam and coerced into marrying members of the group, along with other female abductees, a report by Watchlist on Children and Armed Conflict noted yesterday.

Watchlist, an international network of
human rights and humanitarian non-
government organizations working to end violations against children in armed conflict, also accused the federal government and other international humanitarian bodies of being slow, fragmented and unable to meet the fast-growing needs of those affected by the conflict in terms of relief response to violations against children.

“Boko Haram abducted these girls and young women from schools and markets, and during raids on villages in areas across Borno State since at least December 2012. Some members of the group raped girls and young women in the camps. None of the girls and women who escaped, and were interviewed by Watchlist, had access to counseling and
other health services”, the group noted.

  - Leadership

Nigerian Boko Haram, Self-Defence Militia Conscripting Underage Children– Report

An international network of human rights and humanitarian organisations, Watchlist on Children and Armed Conflict, has called on the Federal Government and the United Nations to investigate recruitment and abuse of children in the North-East by both Boko Haram insurgents and self-defence militia known as Civilian Joint Task Force.

According to the report of the group’s investigation into the Boko Haram insurgency released on Thursday, both warring parties in North-East have subjected boys and girls to forced recruitment, detention, attacks at school, abductions, rape, and other forms of sexual violence.

It noted that the gravity and scale of these violations “warrant urgent action from the Nigerian Government,
United Nations, and other child protection actors.”

The 64-page report, entitled “Who Will Care for Us? Grave Violations against Children in Northeastern Nigeria,” detailed grave violations by some parties to the conflict since December 2012 and provided recommendations on how to better protect children.

One of Watchlist’s researchers, Janine Morna, said, “While the abduction of over 200 girls in Chibok, Borno State, has shed some light on how children are affected by the conflict in the North-East, most abuses are still poorly documented, understood, and addressed by key actors. Children as young as 13 are being recruited by both sides of the conflict and have nowhere to turn.”

Though the study considered the activities of all the actors in the ongoing conflict in the North-East, it noted that of particular concern is the forced recruitment of children for spying and assistance during armed attacks by Boko Haram, and the Civilian JTF, which was formed in mid-2013 in Borno State.

  - Punch

Parents Of Abducted Chibok Girls Give Up Hope, Ready To 'Sacrifice' Daughters To End Terrorism

Parents of the abducted Chibok School girls have told President Jonathan and the Nigerian Army to go ahead and end Boko Haram, even if it endangers the lives of the girls.

They said they are ready to turn their daughters into sacrificial lambs, if it will end insurgency and the terror that Boko Haram has being carrying out.

Four months after the captivity of their daughters, the parents are now ready for the military to invade the Sambisa forest no matter the outcome.

Chairman of the Chibok community in Abuja, Hosea Tsambido, stated that he had been in contact with the parents who had given up hope of their daughters returning alive and are only asking that the government return with their bodies so that they can be given proper burial.

He stated this in Abuja during the protest by members of the #BringBackOurGirls the movement to mark 130 days after over 200 girls were abducted from the Government Girls’ Secondary School, Chibok.

Tsambido stated that the Chibok culture requires parents and family members of missing persons to bury their loved ones, if they have been missing for over four months, adding that after three to four months the families must perform the burial ritual and assume that the persons are dead to enable them move on with their lives.

His words: “Culturally in our area, when our child or a person is missing for three to four months and you do not hear anything about the person, we will arrange for the burial ceremony and to take it as if the person is dead and we will perform the burial ritual and forget about the person and try to forge ahead with life.
“Now the parents are saying that it is better for them to bring the girls back, even if it means the corpses so that they will bury them properly.
“Let the girls be the sacrificial lambs, that is what they told me. I spoke with them last night on the issue and
their opinion is that the army should go into Sambisa.

If some of the girls are saved, die or abscond, so be it than all this trauma that the parents are going through
right now.
“They are saying that let the government go into the forest and bring back the corpses of the children so that they can bury them properly.

The leader of the BBOG movement, Oby Ezekwesili, has asked the government to tell the group and Nigerians what is being done to rescue the girls after 130 days.
Her words: “This is 130 days after they were abducted and we are no where closer as to knowing the fate of those girls and having any information on their rescue.
“The challenge that we have is the fact that we are told that a rescue operation is going on but when you connect the dots in the statements that are made, it leaves you within the logical frame without any precise sense of a rescue operation because in the case of abduction, what we know around the world is that people try to rescue through a military operation or they try to rescue through negotiation and and they try to sometimes have a mix of those two options.

“Each time that we have listened to statements from government, including from the President, it has seemed to dismiss any of these options and so that leaves us asking, what exactly is going on 130 days since these girls were abducted.

The Nation

Britain 'To Send Tornado Reconnaissance Jets to Nigeria' To Find Abducted Chibok Girls

The RAF is sending three warplanes to help locate the Nigerian schoolgirls taken by an Islamist terror group, it has been reported.

Four months ago Boko Haram, which is fighting to reinstate a medieval Islamic caliphate in religiously mixed Nigeria, abducted more than 200 schoolgirls from the village of Chibok and they remain missing.

Nigerians in Chicago Rally Against Boko Haram Insurgency, Terrorism in Nigeria

Nigerian professionals belonging to the First Nigeria Organisation (FNO), have concluded their rally  in Chicago, aimed at drawing global attention to the atrocities of the murderous terrorist group, Boko Haram.

The rally was a continuation of a series of rallies organised by the same group across major cities in the United States during the recent visit of President Goodluck Jonathan who was in the US to participate in the just-concluded African Leadership Summit hosted by President Barack Obama from August 4-6 in Washington, D.C.

The rally took place from 11am to 1pm at the historic Tribune Towers on Michigan Avenue in Downtown Chicago featured many seasoned participants including the Clerk of Cook County, Dorothy Brown, Rev. Dr. Janette Wilson, renowned American Civil Rights Activist and Senior Adviser to Rev. Jesse L. Jackson, Snr., Dr. Ewa Ewa, Dr. Christian Akiwowo, Pa David Olupitan, Mr. Anthony Cole, Sir Tony Ochiabutor, Hon Uba Light, Joy Oshodi and others.

According to the participants, who carried placards with various inscriptions such as “Boko Haram Stop Killing Nigerians”, “Support President Jonathan to fight Boko-Haram”, “Bring Back Our Girls” and others, the rally was a conclusion of the Washington and New York rallies aimed at telling Boko Haram the world can no longer tolerate their inhuman and murderous tendencies to Nigerians with emphasis on the Chibok girls.

The Coordinator of the Nigeria First Organisation, Linda Oyewopo condemned the wicked acts of the Boko Haram sect imploring everybody to stand up to the murderous instincts of this deadly group.
Dorothy Brown, the Clerk of Cook County denounced Boko Haram for the abduction of the Chibok School Girls calling on the terrorists to release the girls soonest. She thanked the American Government for offering help to Nigeria in the fight against Boko Haram and urged Americans to unite and stand with Nigerians so as to send a strong message that the world was united against Boko Haram.

Rev. Dr. Janette Wilson stated that terrorism has no colours and as such all hands – whites, blacks, Hispanics, browns, etc. should be on deck to bring the atrocities of Boko Haram to an end in Nigeria. She condemned the kidnappings of the Chibok school girls and called for their immediate release to their families.

Dr. Ewa Ewa thanked Nigerians and their American counterparts in Chicago for making out time out of their busy schedules to rally with Nigerians for the release of the abducted school girls leaving the assurance that Nigerians all over Chicago would continue to rally against the dreaded terrorist group until they release the kidnapped school girls and an end is put to the murderous activities of the group in Nigeria.

Dr. Christian Akiwowo denounced the terrorist activities of Boko Haram in Nigeria and urged Chicagoans and the global community to continue to support the ongoing efforts of the Nigerian government to bring an end to the activities of the terrorist group. He specially prayed that God should open the eyes of the Boko Haram militants so that they can understand the pains and sufferings they are inflicting on their innocent and law-abiding Nigerian victims and turn away from their evil ways.

Pa David Olupitan called on Nigerians and Americans to unite in the fight against Boko Haram because it was the right thing to do. He stressed that terrorism had no place in Nigeria and as such Boko Haram must be defeated.

In her remarks, Mrs. Joy Oshodi, a Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) stalwart in Chicago highlighted the accomplishments of the Jonathan Administration. She emphasized that although the Boko Haram insurgency dominates the headlines, that President Goodluck Jonathan remains of the most seasoned leaders Nigeria has ever produced and called on Nigerians of all ethnicities and the American public to continue to support the government of Nigeria in its efforts in putting an end to the activities of the terrorist group.

In their remarks, the organizers – the National Council of Women Societies (NCWS) organizer in the United States, Linda Oloyepo, Otunba Badejo and Anslem John-Miller thanked all Nigerian professionals in attendance for making out time out of their busy schedules to rally in support of the abducted school girls and the efforts of the Nigerian Government to rescue the girls safely. They assured Nigerians that they would leave no stone unturned in their international mobilization to ensure that the Nigerian Government gets all the support she needs in order to rescue the abducted Chibok girls and defeat Boko Haram in Nigeria.

Source:
MetroWatchOnline

United States Surveillance Planes Searching for Boko Haram Abductees Spot Girls in Nigeria

Recent U.S. surveillance flights over northeastern Nigeria showed what appeared to be large groups of girls held together in remote locations, raising hopes among domestic and foreign officials that they are among the group that Boko Haram abducted from a boarding school in April, U.S. and Nigerian officials said.

The surveillance suggests that at least some of the 219 schoolgirls still held captive haven't been forced into
marriage or sex slavery, as had been feared, but instead are being used as bargaining chips for the release of
prisoners.

The U.S. aerial imagery matches what Nigerian officials say they hear from northern Nigerians who have
interacted with the Islamist insurgency: that some of Boko Haram's most famous set of captives are getting special treatment, compared with the hundreds of other girls the group is suspected to have kidnapped. Boko Haram appears to have seen the schoolgirls as of higher value, given the global attention paid to their plight, those officials said.

Nigerian President Goodluck Jonathan, who faces re- election in February, is under political pressure to secure the girls' release, with some people urging him to agree to a prisoner swap.
His government has ruled out a rescue operation, saying it is unwilling to risk the girls' lives, or a prisoner swap.
"We don't exchange innocent people for criminals. That is not in the cards," said Mr. Jonathan's spokesman, Reuben Abati, last week in an interview.

In early July, U.S. surveillance flights over northeastern Nigeria spotted a group of 60 to 70 girls held in an open
field, said two U.S. defense officials. Late last month, they spotted a set of roughly 40 girls in a different field.
When surveillance flights returned, both sets of girls had been moved. U.S. intelligence analysts say they don't have enough information to confirm whether the two groups of girls they saw are the same, they said.

They also can't say whether those groups included any of the girls the group has held since April. But U.S. and Nigerian officials said they believe they are indeed those schoolgirls.
"It's unusual to find a large group of young women like that in an open space," said one U.S. defense official.
"We're assuming they're not a rock band of hippies out there camping."

A wave of intermediaries acting on their own has tried to negotiate the girls' release, Mr. Abati said, adding that the president has neither authorized nor discouraged those efforts. Several of those intermediaries have said Boko Haram's leader, Abubakar Shekau, has ordered his fighters to treat the girls as valuable hostages—not sex slaves—one senior Nigerian security adviser said.

"He gave a directive that anybody found touching any of the girls should be killed immediately," the adviser said.
"If true, it is cheering."
It would also show that Boko Haram is trying to follow an al Qaeda tactic of swapping hostages for money and
political gain.

Boko Haram has used hostages in the past to demand the exchange of its prisoners held in both Nigeria and
Cameroon, which was one of the conditions for the release of a French family from captivity last year.
Now, the group appears to be testing the bargaining power of a group of girls who had been ordinary teenagers at a school—until their abduction on the night of April 14. That night, fighters with the Islamist insurgency—which is opposed to modern education—stormed a boarding school and drove 276 girls away hours before their final exams. Fifty-seven later escaped.

The captivity of the rest became a cause célèbre, prompting a Twitter campaign, #BringBackOurGirls, that was joined by notable figures including Michelle Obama and Hillary Clinton. It also spurred Boko Haram's latest effort to get its captives released from crowded Nigerian prisons—a long-standing grievance. Three months after seizing the girls, Boko Haram's leader, Mr. Shekau, appeared in a video demanding a prisoner exchange. "You are saying bring back our girls," thundered the bearded gunman, before firing his AK-47 into the air. "We are saying bring back our men!"

Dozens of demonstrators still gather in the capital each day to press for the girls' freedom. Their rallies have become a referendum on whether Nigerian women particularly poor, young, Muslim girls— are valued by a government of mostly wealthy, elderly, Christian men.
Mr. Abati said Mr. Jonathan has worked tirelessly to win the girls' freedom.

It isn't clear how many of the girls Boko Haram can deliver. A former Nigerian president, Olusegun Obasanjo, who has a history of contact with the group, has said some of the girls are likely dead or pregnant. Only about 130 of them—out of 219 missing— appeared in the sole video of the girls that Boko Haram has ever provided.

Meanwhile, the international effort to find the girls has waned: The U.S. military is now carrying out just one
surveillance flight a day, mostly by manned aircraft, totaling only 35 to 40 hours a week, said U.S. defense
officials, as drones have been shifted back toward other operations.

Some accounts suggest the burden of providing for scores of girls has become a point of dissension in Boko Haram's ranks.
In July, four girls and women aged 16 to 22 hid in their bedrooms as Boko Haram fighters broke into their home in the town of Damboa, they each said in an interview last week. They feared they would be kidnapped.
When their aunt, Fatima Abba, argued on their behalf. The roughly 20 Boko Haram insurgents decided not to
kidnap them—and instead began to complain about the scores of schoolgirls they already have.
"They are always crying. They behave like children," Ms. Abba quoted the Boko Haram fighters as saying of the
schoolgirls. "We don't want them around."

Source:
WSJ

President Jonathan Using Third Parties To Negotiate With Boko Haram To Free Abducted Chibok Girls

The president of Nigeria disclosed Monday that his government is using third parties to talk to Islamist
extremists and try to secure the safe release of the 200 schoolgirls they kidnapped, saying military action could prove too deadly.

In an exclusive interview with The Washington Times, President Goodluck Jonathan also said that U.S. help during the schoolgirls crisis has not produced any results.

“They have been with us for over a month, and we have not been able to get the girls out,” he said. “So you really see that the help has not yet resulted [in] something positive. I wouldn’t say they have helped or they have not helped. Basically they are there to help with intelligence gathering and so on.”

In Washington for an African leaders’ summit with President Obama, Mr. Jonathan directly addressed the
criticism both inside his country and abroad to his response to the terrorist group Boko Haram’s kidnapping of the girls from the town of Chibok in April, saying a swift military response likely would have resulted in the death of the children.

“We have not been able to get [an answer]. How do we get these girls out?” he said. “If it is to risk a few dead
bodies, it is easier. You can blast the place and carry the corpses. But is that what we have to do? So it is delicate, and that’s why we are proceeding with caution.”

Mr. Jonathan, who faces re-election in
2015, disclosed that he has authorized third parties to try to secure the girls’ safe release.
“Negotiations from Day One. We have set up a committee — what I call a dialogue committee — [for] the challenge we have in the north, even before the kidnapping of the Chibok girls. We have a team. And we encourage people to assist them. We do negotiate,” he said. “Quite a number of people have come with different information. We encourage them. But none of them have yielded any results.”

Nigerian and U.S. advisers to Mr. Jonathan immediately clarified his remarks after the interview, stating the Nigerian government was not directly negotiating with Boko Haram but instead using intermediaries.

“The president is not negotiating with Boko Haram. He is, however, encouraging dialogue between the sect and the government,” said Lanny Davis, a former Clinton White House adviser who has been advising the Jonathan administration on international media strategy related to the crisis.
“Recently, even before the girls were taken, he set up a committee to dialogue with Boko Haram. Currently,
there are third parties reaching out to Boko Haram to secure the safe return of the girls, and the administration is actively encouraging these backroom
initiatives,” he said.

The kidnappings fueled international outrage and spurred a social media campaign in the West with the
rallying cry of “#BringBackOurGirls.”
Mr. Jonathan, who belatedly accepted offers of help from the Obama administration to find the girls, said
American help hasn’t produced any measurable results.

Mr. Jonathan took baby steps on the carpet of his hotel suite to demonstrate the impact so far of the effort by the US and other global allies to help his country finds the girls — “one fraction of a centimeter.”
“It’s like when we are learning elementary physics in secondary school, and they will define ‘walk’ as ‘effort by distance,’” he said. “No matter what the effort, if you don’t move the load by a distance, the walk is zero. The effort I put, multiplied by zero, is zero. No walk. Yes, they are doing something, but no result yet.”

Mr. Davis, the adviser to President Jonathan, said Nigeria was appreciative of the help offered by numerous countries.

Washington Times