The Nigerian government’s 'Safe School Initiative' has received a boost of N3.2 billion.
The sum is made of two parts of N1.6 billion released by the federal government and another N1.6 billion donated by the private sector.
Minister of Finance, Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala made the disclosure on Tuesday after a meeting of stakeholders of the initiative with President Jonathan in Abuja.
The Safe School Initiative is expected to accommodate children displaced from their schools due to the present insurgency rocking the country. The over 200 girls who were kidnapped in Chibok two months ago are to benefit from these funds.
Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala said, “We are intent on trying to make sure that our children in the states have an environment in which they can come back to school and not have their education truncated.”
Special Envoy to the UN Secretary General for Global Education, Gordon Brown said the reconstruction of the secondary school in Chibok is paramount to the United Nations.
“I am here to say that we wish as an international community to do everything we can to back up the efforts of President Goodluck Jonathan and the governors of the states to make sure these girls are returned to their families and at the same time to make sure, that every parent feels that they can send their children to school knowing that they will be safe in the future.”
Yobe and Borno governors said they are committed to making the initiative a huge success.
Ibrahim Geidam, Yobe state governor, said, “I promise to give him all the necessary cooperation to ensure that the programme succeeds.”
Kashim Shettima, Borno state governor, said, “Times like this calls for sobriety, for maturity, for unity of purpose. At the appropriate time we are going to play politics, but this is not time to play politics with the lives of the people.”
The federal government and the international community are bent on encouraging displaced students back to school.
The Federal Government’s back-door talks to rescue the 217 abducted Chibok girls still in Boko Haram’s custody, may have suffered a setback.
The government is demanding an unconditional release of the girls, promising to fulfill the demands of Boko Haram leaders after.
But the facilitators of the talks are seeking a truce which will result in the simultaneous swapping of the girls with some insurgents in detention.
The facilitators/mediators, some of whom are clerics and Northern leaders, are afraid of the consequences of the government reneging on any “deal”.
They think that they may be exposed to danger.
Also yesterday, it was gathered that ex-President Olusegun Obasanjo is yet to get a Presidential go-ahead for talks with Boko Haram contacts.
President Goodluck Jonathan only gave a verbal approval to him.
Obasanjo wanted a situation where he would sit down with the President and get a firm commitment on offers from the government to the insurgents.
The ex-President may, however, wait for a while because the government was uncomfortable with his comments that the President did not believe the girls were abducted in the first place.
The rescue bid for the girls has been slowed down by some unresolved issues.
It was gathered that there was a major challenge on: agreeing on terms for the release of the girls; and establishing trust that each party will keep to the bargain.
Two sources, who spoke in confidence on the negotiation, the resolution of the two issues is crucial to freedom for the girls.
One of the sources said: “We seem to have a little setback. I think the fear of people who are negotiating is whether the government will honour its own part of the talks.
“The government is demanding unconditional release of the girls whereas the negotiators are seeking simultaneous swapping of some insurgents with the girls.
“The government is saying the insurgents should release the girls and it will unfold its package. There is also a suspicion in government that the insurgents may not live up to their pledge.
“Some of these clerics and Northern leaders are scared that they might be endangered if the government does not make concrete offers to the insurgents.
“The facilitators want to collect the girls and hand over the insurgents at the same time.”
Asked of the attitude of the insurgents, the source, who is believed to be respected by Boko Haram leadership, said: “They have been listening to some of their contacts out of sheer mutual respect but if the government does not act, they do not mind keeping the girls for five years.
“They are prepared to keep the girls. If there are terms acceptable to both parties and firm commitment, anybody can secure the release of the girls.”
Another source said the Federal Government does not have much confidence in Obasanjo’s initiative.
The source said the government would prefer a collective intervention by past Heads of State, as floated last Thursday by President Goodluck Jonathan, than Obasanjo’s singular plan.
It was gathered that Obasanjo’s comments, which alleged that the President did not believe that the girls were abducted made the Presidency to be “cautious” on his initiative.
The source added: “I think there is a problem between Obasanjo and the President. When the two leaders met at the burial of ex-Governor Michael Otedola, Obasanjo told Jonathan what he intended doing and the President said it was a good idea.
“They both agreed to discuss the details later, if Obasanjo is really going into it. The President gave some security insights into the abduction, including the alleged involvement of some people opposed to his administration and some foreign elements.
“But it was shocking to the government when Obasanjo came out and said Jonathan doubted the abduction of the girls. The comments angered the President and some forces in government.
“This is why the President and Obasanjo have not sat down to discuss the modalities of the latter’s initiative. Sensing this, Obasanjo was also absent at last Thursday’s parley on the Chibok girls with past leaders.
“By declaring that not all the girls can return home safely, Obasanjo is not only divulging security matter, he is also doubting his own mission. Do you expect the government to have faith in his initiative?”
It was gathered that Obasanjo refused to resume talks with Boko Haram contacts because he was yet to secure a firm commitment from the President that whatever terms agreed upon would be accepted by the Federal Government.
A third source added: “Obasanjo said he won’t move an inch forward on the talks with Boko Haram again until he gets the consent and commitment on whatever is arrived at from the Federal Government.
“Baba said he cannot act on newspapers reports on the government’s commitment. He does not want to discuss with the insurgents and fail to meet their terms.”
THERE was panic in Chibok Local Government Area of Borno State, where over 200 female students of Government Girls’ Secondary School were abducted by Islamic militants, Boko Haram, following a letter purportedly written to the people of Chibok by the sect members, informing them of their plans to attack the local government again.
A top local government official in Chibok town, who did not want his name published, revealed this to newsmen in Maiduguri, the Borno State capital, on Monday.
According to him, when the letter purportedly written by the sect was presented to the police, residents were assured of maximum protection.
“Yet, the police are also complaining of shortage of fuel for their vehicles, as petrol was not being sold in the local government for fear that the insurgents may use it to burn houses,” he said.
According to the source, the local government had also assured the security operatives that they would buy fuel and keep it with them for their use.
It was also gathered that the council had asked the security agents to ask for reinforcement, as the number of security operatives in the area might not be sufficient to face the insurgents.
“Whenever Boko Haram tells you that they are coming, they never fail to come. Our fears now is that, we don’t know when and how they are going to come, but our people are in great fear.
“We are calling for prayers, as well as on government to provide adequate security in Chibok,” he said.
Abduction: Committee to submit report to Jonathan this week
The report on the abduction of over 200 girls in Chibok will be submitted to President Goodluck Jonathan by the fact-finding committee, this week.
This was made known on Monday by the coordinator of National Information Centre (NIC), Mr Mike Omeri, while addressing newsmen in Abuja.
Omeri, however, appealed to Nigerians and international communities for more understanding and patience towards the effort of the government to rescue the girls.
In another development, Omeri revealed that Nigerian troops had apprehended seven terrorists who infiltrated Maiduguri, Borno State capital, to carry out terrorist missions.
He said in the course of interrogation, the terrorists said they were asked to carry out some bombings and sabotage activities in furtherance of directives of the leadership of the terrorist group.
The National Orientation Agency (NOA) boss, however, said further investigations, patrol and surveillance had been stepped up by the troops.
Speaking on the kidnap of a construction worker in Plateau, Omeri said the victim, who had since been released, is a Lebanese national as against media reportage, labelling him a Briton.
He said that the Lebanese was abducted by some armed bandits in Lantang, Plateau State, on Sunday night, but was freed through the efforts of security forces in Angwan Bala in Wase Local Government Area of the state.
Tribune Newspaper
The United States Congressional Delegation representatives have called on the Nigerian government to establish a National Victim Funds to cater for victims of terrorism.
“Today we call upon the government of Nigeria to establish a National Victim Fund for all the victims who are suffering at the hands of Boko Haram,” delegation co-chair Sheila Jackson Lee told reporters in the capital Abuja.
They made this call during a press conference at the Unity Fountain in Abuja as part of global efforts to drum up support for the rescue of the teenage girls kidnapped on April 14 from their school in the north-eastern town of Chibok.
The delegation also reaffirmed the commitment of the United States government to ensure that the over 200 abducted Chibok girls are rescued alive.
With a mission of intervention, prevention and pressure on the international community, the congressional representatives said they will not give up until the abducted girls are brought back.
Jackson-Lee, further expressed optimism that their voices will be heard at the highest level of the Nigerian government. Despite noting that time is said to be running out in bringing back the girls, Jackson-Lee said the US military will explore all options available.
“It is time for economic empowerment and jobs, to … give the young people of the north and all around Nigeria the opportunity for jobs and education,” she said.
Leader of the delegation, Steve Stockman, said the US Congress realised that “the best thing that could happen is if we have a fund set up for those that lost their lives and for the families that remain here on this earth.”
Another member of the delegation, Frederica Wilson said their mission in the country was to put pressure on the international community, including the US and Nigerian governments, to help bring back the girls, who range in age from 16 to 18.
“Everyone around us has a responsibility to find these young girls. And we cannot afford to give up until we find all (the) young women who were kidnapped from a school which is supposed to be a safe place,” she said.
Two of the girls who escaped from their captors attended the news conference but were not allowed to speak.
Source:
Channels TV
LAMENTING the continued detention of the Chibok schoolgirls by Boko Haram insurgents, former President Olusegun Obasanjo Thursday declared that some of them may never return.
In an interview with the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) Hausa Service monitored in Kaduna Thursday, Obasanjo said that perhaps succeeding generations would continue to remember those female students who were abducted by suspected Boko Haram members in April.
He disclosed that only those girls who would later get pregnant and find it difficult to cater for the babies in the forest who might be released by the insurgents.
Obasanjo said that he had ways of communicating with the suspected Boko Haram members but the government had not permitted him to do so.
He noted that the girls might have been separated, and were not kept in the same location.
He said: “I believe that some of them will never return. We will still be hearing about them many years from now. Some will give birth to children of the Boko Haram members, but if they cannot take care of them in the forest, they may release themselves.”
A human rights activist, Mallam Sani, who spoke with The Guardian in an interview, explained that Obasanjo recently revived a plan for dialogue with the insurgents’ family members, but the government had not shown any interest.
According to him, the anti-terrorist laws in the country forbid any individual or group delving into such matters unless the government gives a waiver for such an intervention.
Guardian Newspaper
Written By Don Okereke
Date: Saturday, 24th May 2014; Incident: Al-Shabab launched a kamikaze attack on Somali Parliament Building while scores of politicians were meeting killing at least 17 people; Consequence: Somalia's National Security Minister, Abdikarim Guled threw in the towel aftermath of the daring assault by Al-Shabaab fighters. Tendering his resignation, Mr. Guled said: "You are aware of the cowardly attack that the violent elements carried out on the Parliament. I extend my condolences to the families of the diseased...considering the current situation of the country, I officially hereby announce my resignation".
In South Korea, erstwhile Prime Minister Chung Hong-Won apologized to South Koreans on National Television and subsequently resigned due to a Ferry mishap that claimed the life of about 200 South Koreans. For sure the Prime minister is not directly responsible for the mishap but he took responsibility. In his resignation, Mr. Chung said: "I should take responsibility for everything as the prime minister... So I will resign as prime minister". And he did. If Mr. Chung were to be a Nigerian, some jesters from his clan, his in laws and those benefiting from the status quo will take to the street, threatening fire and brimstone why he must continue in office. What a country!
In India, the then Home Minister, Shivraj Patil and the National Security Adviser, M.K Narayanan both tendered their resignation in the wake of the Mumbai terror attacks.
Juxtapose the aforementioned random case studies with the wanton insecurity, terrorism, insurgency miasma in Nigeria that has become an international embarrassment, yet those directly responsible for Nigeria's security are clinching to their lordly positions at all cost and without shame.
It took three weeks of global media frenzy and outrage for the Nigerian government to even come to terms and acknowledge that nearly 300 Chibok School girls were abducted by Boko Haram. Then they started running helter skelter, bandying alibi's, blaming everyone else but themselves. As if this faux pas is not enough, the Presidency reportedly issued a statement asking #BringBackOurGirls protesters to channel their protests to Boko Haram and not to the Presidency. May I with utmost sense of responsibility remind the Presidency that the primary responsibility of any government is the protection of life and properties.
Aso Rock should be aware that the buck stops at the table of whosoever is the current President and Commander-in-chief of the Federal Republic of Nigeria. Nigerians did not vote for Boko Haram, but for the President and gave him the mandate and the power to do all that is necessary to guarantee the safety of life and properties.
The President have a potpourri of Security and Intelligence agencies at his disposal to contain this ugly situation stifling the country. It is unbecoming off-loading his frustrations on disenchanted innocent Nigerians whose only sin is daring to remind his government to sit up. If anything, he should blame, hold his security echelon responsible for their ineptitude and failure to maintain the peace.
A botched Immigration Service recruitment exercise by Nigeria's Ministry of Interior snuffed life out of 20 promising Nigerian youths. It took a lot of heckling before the Minister of Interior tendered a half-hearted apology, yet he clinched to his plumb job. Till date the Minister refused to reimburse applicants of this ill-fated exercise, the N1,000 they paid as application fee. A committee was assembled to look into the matter and that was it.
Sequel to a paper-tiger "rebasing" of the nation's economy, we are told Nigeria is now the "biggest" economy in Africa. The government of the day ascribed with pageantry, this titular achievement as part of their "transformation agenda". They bask in taking credit for good things even though they may have no hand in it, but play the ostrich, blaming phantom enemies when something sinister happens and for wanting to bring down the government.
A very conservative Amnesty International estimate says the Boko Haram menace may have snuffed life out of 1,500 innocent Nigerians. In a country where we have a National Security Adviser, Minister of Defence, Chief of Defence Staff, Chief of Army Staff, Chief of Naval Staff, Chief of Air Staff, I.G of Police, D.G of State Security Service, D.G of National Intelligence Agency, Defense Intelligence Agency, etc, etc, none deems it fit to take responsibility for the current state of insecurity in Nigeria.
Two months after the Chibok school girls were abducted by Boko Haram, discordant opinions emanating from the seat of government is neither inspiring nor encouraging. All we hear every day is finger-pointing, buck-passing, a penchant for policy summersault and doublespeak. One of them bandies a "soft approach", another tells us the government is negotiating, yet another refutes the preceding assertion. A spin doctor issues a trite press release assuring Nigerians 'the government is on top of the situation'. A wishy-washy committee is swiftly assembled, monetary allocations (a piece of the national cake) is doled out to the geezers, the issue peters out and it is business as usual again. Off they globetrot on their chartered/private jets.
Whilst #OgasAtTheTop in Nigeria carouse, ensconce themselves in their multi-billion naira fortified fortresses, travel on their armoured plated SUV's, poor Nigerians are the pawns in the ongoing brinkmanship, chess game they play.
Just recently, President Barrack Obama made a surprise visit to Afghanistan, yet Aso Rock spin doctors are busy bandying hogwash alibi's aimed at exonerating the immense insensitiveness and the inability of the Commander-in-Chief of the Federal Republic of Nigeria to visit Chibok, a section of the country he governs. If not for any other reason, such a visit will improve the battered image of the President as well as bring some succour and encouragement to families of the abducted girls and also boost the morale of our soldiers fighting the insurgents. Take a cue from the Americans, such a visit does not have to be announced, it's called a "surprise visit".
Our security agencies must do more work and less talk (propaganda). Are they not endangering the lives of the abducted Chibok girls by insinuating they have discovered where the girls are held up? Until Osama Bin Laden was killed, American security, intelligence agencies, particularly the Navy SEAL Team 6 that carried out the operation refrained from unguarded utterances.
Now we don't need to travel to Europe, the United States or South Korea for global best practices. Folks at the helm of affairs in Nigeria should take a cue from Somalia's National Security Minister.
Is it not a shame that a so-called rag-tag Sect is not just holding plus or minus 300 Chibok girls and now women hostage but the entire country of 160 million people comprising Generals, world-acclaimed high-flying Spiritual/religious juggernauts? How many more innocent Nigerians will be abducted, hacked to death by these bloodletting goons before geezers at the echelon of leadership take responsibility?
Please take responsibility, walk the talk or 'step aside' if you are bereft of ideas or your wishy-washy idea is not fit for purpose.
Don Okereke
Ex-Serviceman, Passionate, Versatile Security Analyst/Consultant, Writer/Blogger, Change Agent, Advocate.
www.donokereke.blogspot.com
donnuait(a)yahoo.com
The UK will increase its military and educational aid to help Nigeria tackle Boko Haram, Foreign Secretary William Hague has announced.
He said Nigeria's army would receive extra training, especially in counter-insurgency, and a million more children would be given schooling.
This is the latest promise of Western help since Boko Haram abducted some 200 schoolgirls in April.
Since then, the Islamist group has stepped up its attacks.
Mr Hague was speaking at a summit in London.
It follows last month's summit in Paris where regional powers pledged to share intelligence and co-ordinate action against the group and its five-year insurgency.
ALMOST one month into the deployment of the various foreign assistance teams to Nigeria, there are concerns over the lack of communication between them and their Nigerian counterparts on the fate of the over 200 school girls abducted on April 14, 2014 by Boko Haram terrorists. The euphoria that greeted their coming with the high expectations that it will change the dynamics of the search and rescue efforts has ebbed.
They have arrived because the abduction of the schoolgirls attracted worldwide condemnation, with world political leaders, celebrities and activists expressing shock and outrage. It became fashionable to join the campaign for their release under the banner of #Bring Back Our Girls.’
The international outrage forced world leaders to express readiness to assist Nigeria, if they so request. President Goodluck Jonathan had come under fire, facing accusations of inertia. He was also berated for failure to seek international assistance. Faced with the anger at home and abroad, President Jonathan requested for foreign assistance, something the Nigerian military and some political leaders had hitherto been reluctant to do. Their coming was a lease of fresh air to the slow response of the Nigerian military in rescuing the school girls.
Nigeria specifically asked for intelligence and equipment to help trace the location of the Chibok girls. The request for assistance by the foreign militaries was sought because the Nigerian military is down in terms of equipment holdings in the area of sophisticated surveillance platforms.
President Jonathan, spoke with his British Prime Minister, David Cameron on the phone, requesting for the deployment of British Satellite Imaging capabilities and advanced tracking technologies to boost the outcome of the search. Several countries pledged to send military experts, spy planes and intelligence experts to assist the Nigerian military in the rescue mission.
Among countries that pledged assistance were the United States, United Kingdom, France, Canada, China and Israel. The United States deployed an Interdisciplinary Team for Assistance working with their Nigerian counterparts in the areas of security, communications and intelligence. It also deployed 80 troops to Chad. The troops will support the operation of intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance aircraft for missions over northern Nigeria and the surrounding area, using at least one drone. The UK also sent a Sentinel spy plane in addition to its team of experts.
Read more here:
Guardian Newspaper
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The United States is financing a new 24-hour satellite TV channel in northern Nigeria meant to counter insurgencies by the militant Islamist Boko Haram and other groups in the region, the New York Times reported on Friday.
A U.S. official confirmed the project was under way but did not give full details. The official said the United States would "support Nigerian efforts to provide an attractive alternative to the messaging of violent extremists."
The project is a result of discussions with Nigeria dating back to late 2012 on ways to cooperate against Boko Haram and the content of the channel will be produced by Nigerians in Nigeria, the official said.
The United States has in recent months increased its collaboration with Abuja in response to violence from Boko Haram, including surveillance and communications help after the abduction of more than 200 schoolgirls in April.
The Times said the TV channel, which is not yet broadcasting but is near to completion, is financed by the State Department’s Bureau of Counterterrorism and is expected to cost about $6 million.
The project is run in Nigeria by Equal Access International, a San Francisco-based government contractor that has managed media programs sponsored by the State Department in Yemen and Pakistan meant to encourage youth participation in politics and counter Islamist extremism, it said.
The paper quoted foreign policy experts saying the project faced several challenges in a region with low levels of infrastructure, public services, literacy and security. Access to electricity is limited and few people own televisions.
In addition to the broadcasts, the Times said the project would provide training to journalists in the region.
Source:
Reuters
US Secretary of State John Kerry warned that a Nigerian offensive to go after Boko Haram and attempt to free 219 kidnapped schoolgirls “could be very risky.”
John Kerry, in an interview with PBS NewsHour’s Gwen Ifill, was responding to Nigerian President Goodluck Jonathan’s vow to free the abducted students by ordering a “full scale-operation” against Boko Haram Thursday.
“I think an all-out assault — I’m not sure what that means; I’d want to know what that means — it could be very risky to the young women. And there may be a time and place for that but we need to look at this very closely,” said Kerry during the interview at the State Department.
Kerry said he hope to be speaking with Jonathan some time “over the course of today or tomorrow” and said he was not aware of any requests for the U.S. to participate in any such operation.
Four girls out of the 168 students of Government Girls Secondary School, Chibok, Borno State, that were abducted by Boko Haram in April, have escaped.
The Chairman, Chibok Local Government Area, Mr. Bana Lawan, announced this on Tuesday in Abuja at a one-day stakeholders meeting for validation of draft humanitarian response plan for the abducted girls. The meeting was organised by the National Emergency Management Agency.
Lawan, who was represented by the Director for Personnel and Management, Mr. Musa Elijah, said the number of escapees had risen to 57 as against 53, while 164 girls were still held by the terrorist group.
He said, “The people of Chibok are anxiously waiting for the safe return of their children. Except for the unfortunate situation where two of the parents have passed on. They were known to have BP (blood pressure) issues, although I am not a medical expert, but they will not be opportuned to welcome back their daughters.
“Latest report reaching us is that instead of 53, those that have escaped are now 57 and those remaining are 164 and not 168 as before. This is out of the 221 girls that were abducted.”
Lawan explained that it was not all those who registered for the Senior School Certificate Examination in the school that stayed back.
“Those that registered for the SSCE are not all that sat for the exam. Over 500 registered and those who had relatives around decided to move to various places like Kaduna and Maiduguri to write the exams. Those that were left with no relations decided to stay back to take the risk and among them 221 were abducted.”
Source:
Punch Newspaper
More than 200 kidnapped schoolgirls held hostage in Nigeria came agonisingly close to freedom before government officials called off a deal to swap them for jailed Islamist terror suspects, The Mail on Sunday has been told.
A Nigerian journalist trusted by both the government and extremists from Boko Haram acted as go-between, risking his life on a one-man mission to enter the gunmen’s lair and broker an agreement, according to security sources.
But last Saturday, at the 11th hour, officials scrapped the exchange in a telephone call from a crisis summit in Paris where Nigerian president Goodluck Jonathan met foreign ministers including those from Britain, the United States, France and Israel.
Abubakar Shekau is said to be enraged by the broken deal
President Goodluck Jonathan
It was agreed there that no deals should be struck with terrorists and that force should instead be used against them.
Insiders believe that the cancellation of last Saturday’s plan and the ensuing stand-off now puts the girls’ lives in even greater danger.
An intelligence source told The Mail on Sunday: ‘The next video we see from the terrorists could show the girls being killed one by one.’
Sources in the Nigerian capital Abuja described how Shekau had agreed to bring the girls out of their forest camps in the remote north-east of the country in the early morning and take them to a safe location for the prisoner swap.
‘They would have been dropped off in a village, one group at a time, and left there while their kidnappers disappeared. There was to be a signal to a mediator at another location to bring in the prisoners,’ sources said.
About 2,000 Boko Haram members are currently detained.
One hundred non-combatant, low-level sympathisers were to be freed and the two groups brought together in a convoy of buses accompanied by a hand-picked go-between, respected Nigerian journalist Ahmad Salkida.
The plan had been agreed in tortuous negotiations in response to worldwide outrage over a night-time raid on a school in the town of Chibok on April 14 when the girls were abducted from their dormitories.
Mr Salkida was born in the north-eastern state of Borno, where Boko Haram originated. He has known its leaders all his life and has unprecedented access.
Source:
Mail online
Nigeria’s Special Forces from the Army’s 7th Division have sighted and narrowed the search for the more than 250 abducted Chibok schoolgirls to three camps operated by the extremist Boko Haram sect north of Kukawa at the western corridors of the Lake Chad, senior military and administration officials have said.
“It has been a most difficult but heroic breakthrough,” one senior military official said in Abuja.
That claim was supported by another senior commander from the Army’s 7th Division, the military formation created to deal with the insurgency in the Northeast. The 7th Division is headquartered in Maiduguri, the Borno State capital.
The breakthrough comes at a critical moment for the Nigerian military that has faced cutting criticism over its handling of the kidnapping of the girls more than a month ago.
Nigerian military officials coordinating the search and other officials in Abuja said Boko Haram insurgents split the girls into batches and held them at their camps in Madayi, Dogon Chuku and Meri, all around the Sector 3 operational division of the Nigerian military detachment confronting the group’s deadly campaign.
Another source said there is a fourth camp at Kangarwa, also in Borno State. That claim could not be independently verified.
“Our team first sighted the girls on April 26 and we have been following their movement with the terrorists ever since,” one of our sources said.
“That’s why we just shake our heads when people insinuate that the military is lethargic in the search for the girls.”
The location of the abducted girls – north east of Kukawa – opens a new insight into the logistic orientation of Boko Haram, responsible for thousands of deaths in a five-year long insurgency.
But the details established by the military shows that while the world’s attention is focused on the Sambisa forest reserves, about 330 kilometres south of Maiduguri, the terrorists mapped a complex mission that began at Chibok, and veered north east of Sambisa, before heading to west of Bama and east of Konduga.
With the sighting, officials fear that Boko Haram militants may be seeking to create new options of escape all the way to Lo-gone-Et Chari in Cameroon to its Southeast, Lake Chad to its east and Diffa in Niger Republic to its north, providing a multiple escape options in the event of hostile ground operations against it.
Notwithstanding the sighting, the government is said not to be considering the use of force against the extremists, a choice informed by concerns for the safety of the students.
But with growing local and international pressure, a likely option may be for the authorities to enter into talks with the group, whose leader, Abubakar Shekau, in a May 12 video broadcast, called for dialogue and “prisoner” swap with the government.
The government has ruled out that option in the open but know Defence spokesperson, Chris Olukolade, a Major General, told PREMIUM TIMES he would not comment on the ongoing rescue operation.
“You don’t expect me to tell you that the girls have been sighted or have not been sighted,” Mr. Olukolade said. “I will only say our team are working hard and taking note of every information provided to ensure that our girls are rescued without delay.”
Civic leader Shehu Sani who fired a letter to the Sultan of Sokoto and leader of Nigeria’s Muslim, however told PREMIUM TIMES that what must be done urgently is for the Sultan to summon all the influential Islamic clerics with credibility in the north and use them to reach out to the insurgents to release the girls.
Source:
Premium Times
ABUJA (Reuters) - Nigeria's President Goodluck Jonathan has cancelled his first visit to the village from which more than 200 schoolgirls were abducted by Islamist rebel group Boko Haram a month ago due to security fears, senior government sources said on Friday.
Jonathan will instead fly directly from the capital Abuja to Paris on Friday for a regional summit to discuss the Boko Haram insurgency and wider insecurity and will not now make a stop in the northeastern village of Chibok, said one of the sources.
"The president was planning to go but security advised otherwise on the visit," said the source of the last-minute decision to cancel the Chibok part of the trip.
Some Nigerians have criticized the government's initial response to the plight of the girls, who were abducted on April 14, and U.S. officials this week said the government had done too little to adapt to the threat posed by Boko Haram.
Jonathan asked France last week to arrange a security summit with neighbors Chad, Cameroon, Niger and Benin, and officials from the United States, Britain and the European Union to discuss a coordinated response. The summit will take place on Saturday.
Source:
Reuters
Barely one month after more than 200 Chibok school girls were abducted by the Boko Haram, Nigeria's President Goodluck Jonathan will this Friday, 16/05/2014, visit the north-eastern town of Chibok in Bornu State.
Nothing was seen of the girls for almost a month after they were taken from Chibok by Boko Haram militants. But on Monday the group released a video showing more than 100 of them and offering an exchange for prisoners.
The president has come under pressure over his government's failure to rescue the girls, but has ruled out a swap.
On Thursday, relatives of the girls called for their unconditional release.
But the UK's Africa Minister Mark Simmonds said Mr Jonathan had "made it very clear that there will be no negotiation" at a meeting on Wednesday.
A video emerged on Monday showing about 130 of the girls wearing hijabs and reciting Koranic verses.
After visiting Chibok, President Jonathan will continue to Paris to take part in a summit convened by French President Francois Hollande to discuss Boko Haram.
The presidents of Nigeria's neighbours - Benin, Cameroon, Niger and Chad - are scheduled to attend the summit on Saturday, which will also include representatives from the UK, US and EU.
A statement said delegates at the meeting will "discuss fresh strategies for dealing with the security threat posed by Boko Haram and other terrorist groups in west and Central Africa".
'Troubling atrocities'
Meanwhile, US officials on Thursday criticised the speed of Nigeria's response to the threat from Boko Haram.
Alice Friend, director for African affairs at the US defence department, said its security forces had been "slow to adapt with new strategies and new tactics".
She also said the US was unable to offer aid to Nigeria's military because of "troubling" atrocities perpetrated by some units during operations against Boko Haram.
"We cannot ignore that Nigeria can be an extremely challenging partner to work with," Ms Friend said.
BBC
A suspected mastermind of the Nyanya bomb blasts, Aminu Sadiq Ogwuche, who was on Tuesday declared wanted by the Department of State Services, DSS, and subsequently placed on the international police (Interpol) red alert, has been arrested in faraway Sudan.
The first Nyanya bombing of April 14 left no fewer than 100 people dead and scores more injured. The second killed over 30 and wounded scores of people.
The coordinator of the National Information Centre and director-general of the National Orientation Agency (NOA), Mr Mike Omeri, made the arrest known yesterday during a media briefing on the efforts to rescue the abducted Chibok girls.
“Aminu Sadiq Ogwuche has been arrested for his involvement in the Nyanya bombing of April 14. The efforts of the Interpol and the Nigeria Police have led to his arrest in Sudan,” he said.
The deputy director, DSS, Marylin Ogar, in her remarks stated that the suspect had been apprehended in the Sudan and that efforts were being made to bring him back to the country to face justice.
The UK-born Ogwuche, a former lance corporal in the Nigerian Army with Service No. SVC 95/ 104 alongside Rufai Abubakar Tsiga allegedly masterminded the April 14 Nyanya bomb blast.
According to security sources, Ogwuche, the son of a retired colonel in the Nigerian Army, Agene Ogwuche, served in the intelligence unit of the Nigerian Army at Child Avenue, Arakan Barracks in Lagos, between 2001 and 2006. Following his deployment to the Nigerian Defence Academy, NDA, in 2006, Ogwuche deserted the army.
He was arrested on November 12, 2011, at the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, Abuja, on his arrival from the United Kingdom for suspected involvement in terrorism-related activities but was released to his father on October 15, 2012, following intense pressure from human rights activists who alleged rights’ violation.
An indigene of Orokam, Ogbadibo LGA, Benue State, Ogwuche studied Arabic Language at the International University of Africa, Sudan.
The SSS had earlier announced a N25 million reward for anyone with information on the wanted suspect.
Meanwhile, LEADERSHIP could not confirm whether Col. Abubakar Sadiq Ogwuche (rtd), the chief security officer of the Ahmadu Bello University (ABU), Zaria, is the biological father or a relation of the suspected terrorist.
When our correspondent visited Col. Ogwuche’s office at ABU, he could not meet him. He was said to have travelled to Kaduna for an undisclosed reason.
Several efforts to contact him, including placing many calls to his GSM telephone number, did not yield positive results.
Though Col. Oguche could not also respond to text messages sent to his GSM number as at the time of filing this report, associates told LEADERSHIP that the suspected bomber is a biological son of the ABU’s chief security officer.
“I can confirm to you that Aminu is his son; there is nothing to hide there,” said a source. The management of the ABU kept mum during our correspondent’s inquiry.
LEADERSHIP also learnt that the suspected terrorist’s mother is a Fulani.
Source:
Leadership Newspaper
The kidnapped Chibok girls have been moved from the Sambisa forest towards the forest around Ashaka in Gombe State, a top security official has told PREMIUM TIMES.
The security official, who sought anonymity as he was not authorised to speak, also denied the rumor that some of the girls were rescued on Saturday.
He, however, said there were high hopes for the quick rescue of the girls based on the ongoing cooperation between Nigerian officials and their counterparts from the U.S. and U.K. on the rescue efforts.
“It is not true that they have been rescued yet, but we noticed and observed movement of some of the girls from the Sambisa region towards Ashaka forest in Gombe state”, said the security personnel.
The officer added that efforts are being put in place to “carefully track” the abductors and get the girls freed.
“We have not, even for once, lost hope that these girls would be freed. This is a delicate matter which must be handled with all professionalism and absolute care”, the source added.
For almost a month that the over 250 girls were kidnapped from the Government Secondary School, Chibok, the Nigerian military has decided not to provide information on details of its rescue efforts. The military has, however, said it is doing its best to free the girls.
Efforts to speak to the military spokesperson, Chris Olukolade, on the latest report of the girls’ sighting were unsuccessful as he did not pick or return calls nor respond to a text message sent to his phone.
Source:
Premium Times
Boko Haram leader Abubakar Shekau sent a video obtained by the AFP news agency, in which he said for the first time that his group had abducted the Chibok School girls three weeks ago.
God instructed me'
In the video, Abubakar Shekau said the girls should not have been in school in the first place, but rather should get married.
"God instructed me to sell them, they are his properties and I will carry out his instructions," he said.
However, BBC Hausa Service editor Mansur Liman points out that the Boko Haram leader did not state the number of girls abducted, nor where they were taken or are now.
Recall that over 200 girls, aged between 16-18 were taken from their boarding school in Chibok, in the northern state of Borno, on the night of 14 April.
The Associated Press news agency says it is unclear whether the video was made before or after reports last week that some of the girls had been forced to marry their abductors, who paid a nominal bride price of $12 (£7).
Source:
BBC
