Tuesday, May 13, 2014

Nigeria: Chibok Schoolgirls - Nigerian Civic Groups Express Divergent Views On Negotiation With Boko Haram

Boko Haram has asked for the release of their members in exchange for the girls.
The girls were kidnapped from their hostels at the Government Secondary School, Chibok, Borno State, on April 14.
The leader of the Boko Haram sect, Abubakar Shekau, in the video, insisted that the Nigerian government sets free all Boko Haram prisoners across the country before the girls are released.
Hundreds of Boko Haram prisoners are held in various detention centres across Nigeria with some, like former cell leader, Kabiru Sokoto, already sentenced for terrorism. The group has killed thousands of people since its insurgency began in 2009.
The executive chairman of the Coalition against Corrupt Leaders, CACOL, Debo Adeniran, told PREMIUM TIMES that no sacrifice was too much for the release of the abducted girls by the Boko Haram members.
"It is more important to have the girls back by any means possible. There is no sacrifice that should be too much to bring those girls back. So, yes, I think the Federal Government should negotiate with Boko Haram for the release of the abducted girls," Mr. Adeniran said.
He stated that rather than sacrificing the abducted girls, the Federal Government should put an end to Boko Haram.
"The Federal Government should device a new strategy to curb the menace of Boko Haram, not to sacrifice our girls. If it means releasing all their comrades that have been arrested and detained; it does not really matter what crime they have committed, because this time around Nigerian government is helpless," Mr. Adeniran said.
The Executive Director of the Civil Society Legislative Advocacy Centre CISLAC, Auwal Rafsanjani, however, opposed negotiation between the Federal government and the Boko Haram.
Mr. Rafsanjani expressed disappointment that with all the communication gadgets and intelligence in Nigeria it was still difficult to fish out the location of the dreaded sect members. - Read more - http://allafrica.com/stories/201405130541.html

No comments: