It was a day of anguish and tears yesterday when parents of the kidnapped schoolgirls and their classmates converged on the Government House, Maiduguri, Borno State, to identify the girls who were shown in a video released by Boko Haram on Monday.
The exercise which was painstaking and lasted throughout the day and last night, however, yielded some results, as parents, girls from Chibok secondary school and Borno State Government officials, were able to identify 77 of the abducted girls who featured in the video. Shortly after the terror sect released the video, the Borno State Governor, Kashim Shettima, had directed that it should be reproduced and distributed so that the parents of the girls could identify their daughters.
But for other parents who could not identify their daughters, the pain and sorrow continued, with speculation rising that some of the girls who appeared in the video may have been kidnapped before April 14 from other communities in Borno.
The leader of the terrorist group, Boko Haram, Abubakar Shekau, had released a video on Monday showing over a hundred of the kidnapped girls who are believed to have been abducted from their secondary school in Chibok, Borno State, a month ago.
He had said that the girls, all dressed in the Muslim hijab and reciting verses of the Qu'ran, would only be released if the federal government accepts to exchange them for members of his sect who have been in government detention facilities for years.
But the United States Government, Senate President David Mark and Nigeria-Americans resident in the US rejected the prisoner exchange deal offered by Shekau for the return of the schoolgirls. The US, however, said it would respect the wishes of the federal government if it elects to go ahead to negotiate for the release of the girls.
Mark, on the other hand, rejected it outright, saying negotiating with the terrorists would not serve any purpose and would give them room to wreak more havoc on both the country and its people.
But the lack of consensus in government circles, which was evident on Monday when the video was released, continued yesterday when the Minister of Special Duties and Chairman of the presidential committee on reconciliation with Boko Haram, Alhaji Tanimu Turaki, said the government was ready to negotiate with the terrorists on the release of the schoolgirls.
The minister said if Shekau is sincere, he should send representatives for talks, adding: "He should send people he trusts to meet the standing committee on reconciliation."
Notwithstanding the mixed signals from government, the rescue effort for the girls gathered pace with the deployment of manned surveillance aircraft to the North-east.
Also, a meeting between the Commander of United States African Command (US-AFRICOM), Lieutenant General David Rodriguez, who arrived the country Monday, and the Chief of Defence Staff (CDS), Air Chief Marshal Alex Badeh and other military top brass, took place yesterday to discuss wide-ranging security issues, with particular reference to the kidnapped students.
Shettima: 77 Girls Have Been Identified Speaking on the abducted students, the Borno State governor yesterday confirmed that the girls shown in the video released by the terrorists, comprise some of those who were forcibly taken away from the Government Secondary School, Chibok on April 14.
In a statement issued by his media aide, Isa Gusau, Shettima said: "Fifty-four of the girls in the video were identified by their names in an exercise that involved some parents of the girls, fellow students that include escapees from abduction, some teachers, security men and some officials of the Borno State Government led by the Chief of Staff to the Government House, Abubakar Kyari.
"
"
No comments:
Post a Comment