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| Chibok Girls |
President Muhamadu Buhari may have finally bowed to pressure from the
international community to enter into a negotiation with the Islamic Sect Boko
Haram to ensure the release of the Chibok girls.
The president who spoke through one of his media aids, Garba Shehu
said this while granting interview on the sideline of the sixth Tokyo
international conference on Africa Development holding in the Kenyan capital of
Nairobi.
President Buhari said his government was ready to negotiate with the
authentic leaders of the sect who would be able to convince the government that
they are the ones holding the girls and that they know the girls whereabouts.
He said, “I have made a couple of comments on the Chibok girls and
it seems to me that much of it has been politicized.
“What we said is that the government which I preside over is
prepared to talk to bona fide leaders of Boko Haram
“If they do not want to talk to us directly, let them pick an
internationally recognized Non-Governmental Organization, convince them that
they are holding the girls and that they want Nigeria to release a number of
Boko Haram leaders in detention, which they are supposed to know
“If they do it through the ‘modified leadership’ of Boko Haram and
they talk with an internationally recognized NGO, then Nigeria will be prepared
to discuss for their release.
Buhari however said his administration would not waste time and
resources in engaging “doubtful sources” claiming to know the whereabouts of
the girls.
“We want those girls out and safe. The faster we can recover them
and hand them over to their parents, the better for us,” he said.
It will be recalled that the President has been under immense
pressure from the #BringBackOurGirls group and parents of the Chibok girls to negotiate with the Islamic Sect
for the release of the girls or resign. But judging from where he chose to make
the statement, its apparent the pressure from international community may have
prompted him to make this promise, which we hope he will fulfill.
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