President Goodluck
Jonathan has revealed that the Chibok who are more than 200kidnapped
by Boko Haram from their hostel at the Government Girls Secondary
School, Chibok in Borno State, are still alive.The president revealed
this in an interview with the African Independent Television during a
current affairs programme, Kaakaki earlier today.
According to Punch, the President’s claim that the girls were still being kept by Boko Haram contradicted Abubakar Shekau’s statement in a video released in October 2014 to the media that he had married off the pupils. In a previous statement, the group’s leader had threatened to sell the girls as slave brides.
Jonathan argued that if the schoolgirls had been killed, the Boko Haram insurgents’ commander, Shekau, would have released a video showing how they the girls were murdered.
According to the President, the Nigerian security forces are also wary of storming the main stronghold of the terrorists because they fear the insurgents may use the girls as shields.
The President however contradicted his assertion, during his Monday interview with the cable TV news channel, Al Jazeera that the Federal Government did not mishandle the Boko Haram insurgency, claiming that the insecurity problem did not start during his tenure.
He added that the military force was winning the war against the insurgents, noting that only Madagali still remains under the control of the terrorist group in Adamawa State.
According to Punch, the President’s claim that the girls were still being kept by Boko Haram contradicted Abubakar Shekau’s statement in a video released in October 2014 to the media that he had married off the pupils. In a previous statement, the group’s leader had threatened to sell the girls as slave brides.
Jonathan argued that if the schoolgirls had been killed, the Boko Haram insurgents’ commander, Shekau, would have released a video showing how they the girls were murdered.
According to the President, the Nigerian security forces are also wary of storming the main stronghold of the terrorists because they fear the insurgents may use the girls as shields.
Quote
He said, “Because they may use them as shields so we are working with
the global best practices. We can’t just move in with artillery and
clear the place. The good story is that they’ve not been killed. They
are still alive because when terrorists kill they display.”
The President however contradicted his assertion, during his Monday interview with the cable TV news channel, Al Jazeera that the Federal Government did not mishandle the Boko Haram insurgency, claiming that the insecurity problem did not start during his tenure.
Quote
Jonathan said, “At the beginning, we did not really estimate the
capacity of Boko Haram. But over the years they continued to build their
capacity with links with other terrorist groups. I believe we’ve got up
to 65 per cent of what is needed to prosecute this war.”
He added that the military force was winning the war against the insurgents, noting that only Madagali still remains under the control of the terrorist group in Adamawa State.
Quote
“People will want to go back when they no longer hear stories of Boko
Haram invasion. We launched the Victims’ Support Fund to aid in
rehabilitating them. The Victims’ Support Fund is not managed directly
by government but by the private sector,” the President stated.
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