Buhari reveals his government is negotiating Chibok girls release with Boko Haram

PRESIDENT Muhammadu Buhari has revealed that his government has initiated fresh talks with Boko Haram terrorists in a desperate bid to secure the release of the over 200 Chibok schoolgirls and bring about lasting peace to northeastern Nigeria.

 

Over the last year, Boko Haram enjoyed significant military success across northeastern Nigeria, capturing about 14 local government areas in Borno, Yobe and Adamawa States. They also abducted a large number of women and children, making them fight for them, while also turning the girls into concubines.

 

Over recent months, however, the Nigerian military has enjoyed significant success as it mounted a fightback and all the local government areas under Boko Haram control have now been reclaimed. However, the military is yet to find the elusive Chibok girls abducted from their boarding school and are unaware of the whereabouts of Boko Haram leader Sheikh Abubakar Shekau.

 

Desperate to end the insurgency once and for all, President Buhari appears to have opened up negotiations with members of the Boko Haram sect with a view to securing the release of the Chibok girls. Revealing this yesterday in Paris while responding to questions from members of the Nigerian community in Paris, President Buhari said that the sect had given some tough conditions for the release of the girls, however.

According to President Buhari, one of the conditions was the terror group’s demand for the release of one of its members who is currently in government detention and was strategic in making improvised explosives devices (IEDs). He pointed out that this was a demand his government would not accept.

President Buhari said: “They want us to release one of their leaders who is a strategic person in developing and making IEDs that are causing a lot of havoc in the country by blowing up people in churches, mosques, market places, bus parks and other places. But it is very important that if we are going to talk to anybody, we have to know how much he is worth.

“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 absorbed into the community.”

He assured the Nigerian community that his administration was worried about the continued holding of the girls by their captors and was working tirelessly to get them released. According to President Buhari, the unfortunate incident had attracted global attention and sympathy within and outside Nigeria, making it impossible for the government to fold its arms.