Chibok Girls: FG in talks with Boko Haram group

The Nigerian Government says it is still in talks with the Boko Haram sect for the release of the Chibok School Girls although it cannot ascertain what group it is discussing with.

This was disclosed by the Minister of Information and Culture, Lai Mohammed after a meeting of Service Chiefs at the Villa.

Mohammed said the government was being careful to ensure it was speaking with the right group as the sect was reported to have a split in its leadership.

“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.
The thrust of my statement was to assure the nation that we are on top of the situation. We are not even just reacting to the video, we have gone far beyond the video in talking to the group already” the minister said adding “until you are able to ascertain the authenticity of those you are talking to, you don’t go into details”.

Parents of the Chibok schoolgirls and the BringBackOurGirls group had on Sunday following a new video released by the Boko Haram sect, demanded a swap of incarcerated sect members in exchange for the over 200 school girls who were abducted from their school over 2 years ago.

However, the Chief of Defence Staff, Abayomi Olonishakin said the swap of the prisoners for the girls was an entirely “political decision to be taken. The military decision is that we are going ahead with our operations. The operation is being conducted appropriately”.

He also added that the military was still analysing the video released by Boko Haram and will make appropriate comments at the right time.

On those declared wanted, Olonishakin said, “nobody reported to my men and was turned back”.

The Nigerian Army had declared a journalist, Ahmed Salkida, and two others, Ahmed Bolori and Aisha Wakil, wanted for alleged connection with Boko Haram adding that they may have relevant information on the location of the abducted girls.

On the planned match by the BBOG to the Presidential Villa, the  minister said the government appreciated their commitment to the return of these girls but “there are few things we need to do behind the scene. 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 has not relented on efforts to find and recover the girls, like most people who will forget the issue as soon as the effect of the video wears off.
“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,” he said.

The Comptroller-General of the Nigerian Customs Service also told newsmen that they had covered at the Villa not for a meeting with the President but for some sort of workshop held to enlighten them on how to respond to emergency issues “and
how to be in the position to advise the President to take the right decisions under emergency cases either terrorism, flood or any other thing.

“It was put together for chief executives to sit down and understand the process of taking a decision when there is a disaster. We plan to put what we have learnt today into use. We are facing terrorism and we have disasters. There is information going around now that some states are going to witness flood. We never can tell when disasters will happen. We must be ready to be able to counter whatever happens” he said .