There were indications yesterday that the 230
female students abducted by Boko Haram terrorists
from the Government Girls’ Secondary School,
GGSS, Chibok, Borno State, have been sited at the
Sambisa Forest in Borno State, by the Special
Forces of the United States Marines.
The girls who were abducted on April 14, were part
of the 250 students boarded at the school for the
West African School Certificate, WASC/ Senior
Secondary School Certificate, SSSC, examinations,
triggering world-wide condemnations.
This was even as more US military officials arrived
Nigeria yesterday to join local officials in the
search for nearly 300 school girls taken captives
by the Islamist extremist group, Boko Haram, the
US Secretary of State John Kerry, and the defence
department, Pentagon, said.
The UK team had earlier arrived in Abuja to support
Nigerian government in its response to the
abduction of over 200 school girls.
The arrival of the foreign troops is coming on the
heels of the appeal yesterday by the former Vice
President, Atiku Abubakar for Nigerians to unite
and fight the insurgents to achieve success.
According to Kerry, “Our inter-agency team is
hitting the ground in Nigeria now and they are
going to be working with President Goodluck
Jonathan’s government to do everything that we
possibly can to return these girls.”
The CNN also quoted the U.S. Navy Rear Admiral,
John Kirby, who serves as Pentagon press
secretary, as saying that the small team of seven
would join advisers supporting local efforts to find
the girls abducted over three weeks ago.
Kerry said the US team, working with the Nigerian
government, would do everything possible to free
the girls and everything possible to stop the
atrocities of Boko Haram.
“We are also going to do everything possible to
counter the menace of Boko Haram. The entire
world should not only be condemning this outrage
but should be doing everything possible to help
Nigeria in the days ahead,” he added.
But there are no plans to send American combat
troops into Nigeria, Mr. Kirby said.
The abduction of the school girls on April 14 in a
remote community in Borno State, one of the most
shocking terrorist acts by Boko Haram yet, has
drawn widespread anger around the world with
calls for a swift action.
President Goodluck Jonathan said Thursday that
the kidnapping will be “the beginning of end” of
Boko Haram.
US President Obama has said he hopes the
abduction by Boko Haram will galvanize the
international community to act against the brutal
group that has directed much of its cruelty on
civilians and the innocent.
This week, more than 100 people were killed in a
busy market by militants suspected to be from the
group. The attack occurred in Gamboru Ngala,
Borno State, near the Nigerian border with
Cameroun.
Besides the United States, Britain, France and
China have also offered to help rescue the stolen
girls.Obama said the team sent to Nigeria
comprised personnel from military, law
enforcement and other agencies.
France said it will station 3,000 troops in Nigeria’s
neighbouring countries to help fight militants in the
Sahel region.
British satellites and advanced tracking capabilities
also will be used, and China has promised to
provide any intelligence gathered by its satellite
network.
Meanwhile in a statement yesterday, the Foreign
and Commonwealth Office spokesperson said, “a
team of UK experts who will advise and support the
Nigerian authorities in its response to the
abduction of over 200 school girls touched down
in Abuja, Nigeria this morning”.
The team is drawn from across government,
including DfID, FCO and the MoD, and will work
with the Nigerian authorities leading on the
abductions and terrorism in Nigeria. The team will
be considering not just the recent incidents but
also longer-term counter-terrorism solutions to
prevent such attacks in the future and defeat Boko
Haram.
The team will be working closely with their US
counterparts and others to coordinate efforts.
Us Marines find abducted girls, arrest Boko Haram
leader
However, military sources said that apart from
abducting the girls, the insurgents also carted
away food items and vehicles as well as killing
undisclosed number of people in Chibok on the
fateful night.
The sources told Saturday Vanguard in Abuja that
members of the United States Marines who are
already in Maiduguri following the promise by
President Barak Obama to assist Nigeria in
rescuing the abducted girls, located the girls inside
the forest, using some Satellite equipment which
combed the forest, located an assembly of the
young girls and sent the images back to the
Marines on ground in Maiduguri.
Aside locating the whereabouts of the girls in the
dense forest, it was also, further gathered that one
of the leaders of terrorist group who participated in
the abduction of the girls was arrested by a
combined team of the US Marines and Nigerian
forces.
Sources said that the Boko Haram leader was
arrested, through an advanced interceptor
equipment which was used to track the terrorist
while exchanging information with his colleagues
in Sambisa Forest about the movements of
American and Nigerian soldiers in Maiduguri.
His phone was subsequently traced to a location in
Maiduguri where he was arrested and handed over
to the Nigerian military.
The location of the girls in the forest is contrary to
widespread reports that the girls had been
distributed and ferried to the Nigerian border towns
in Chad, Cameroon and Niger Republic.
Senator Ahmed Zanna, representing Borno Central
District in whose Maiduguri home, an alleged Boko
Haram top commander was once arrested told the
Senate last week that he gave the Military an up-
to-date information on how the girls could be
rescued, but lamented that his information was
largely ignored.
He spoke against the backdrop of the claim by the
Boko Haram leader, Sheik Abubakar Shekau, last
week that the girls were booties of war, who would
be sold into slavery.
However, Atiku said in his blog, “While I have had
and continue to have major policy differences with
the government in Abuja and its leadership, as a
nation we must remain united.
”We have come to a turning point in our war
against terrorism in Nigeria. It is a critical moment
for us; the war will not be won without us winning
this battle. In short, if one is not part of the
solution, they become part of the problem.
”And at a moment like this, we can no longer
afford anything but a united commitment to
stamping out a great evil that threatens the very
existence of the only place we call home.
”On social media, I have been amazed by the
outpouring of solidarity from within and outside
Nigeria. While on the one hand it is sad to see
Nigeria in the news for its inability to protect its
most vulnerable citizens, it is also clear that in the
age of social media no concerns or problems are
local.
”It is in light of this that I welcome the offer of
military support from the United States, United
Kingdom, France and others, and the acceptance
by the Nigerian government. While I believe that
we waited too long to get to this point of admitting
our need for external help, I will also insist that
it’s better late than never.
”We must make it clear that under no
circumstances should any person, group of
persons, or organization ever be permitted to prey
on the children of Nigeria, or any other country.
We must make it easy for everyone who has
information about this crime against humanity to
contact the authorities at once.
”We must make it easy for the innocent population
of the affected areas to see the Nigerian military
and authorities as friends, not enemies. We must
make it easy for our soldiers to be loyal and
committed to this great and difficult task ahead of
them.
”We must make it easy for the world to see Nigeria
as a country that cares for all its citizens,
regardless of their age, gender, religion, ethnic
group or economic class. We must remember the
people most affected, trapped on the frontlines of
the battle.
They need support, relief and rehabilitation. ”We
must remember they will need help when they are
returned home to their families and their loved
ones. And we must make it difficult for anyone to
play politics with this crisis.
’’Nothing, absolutely nothing, is worth the
bloodshed and the destruction we have come to
associate with this campaign of terror. Not party
affiliations, not the 2015 elections. We are in a race
against time. For every day we delay our response,
or allow ourselves to be caught up in needless
bickering, we hand victory over to the forces of
darkness and despair, like Boko Haram.”
Atiku appeals for unity to defeat Boko Haram
However, the arrival of the foreign military officials
is coming on the heels of the appeal yesterday by
the former Vice President, Atiku Abubakar on
Nigerians to unite and fight the insurgents.
Atiku said the Nigeria had reached a turning point
in the war against terrorism, asking the people
irrespective of class, status, religion or party
affiliation to unite to ensure victory over evil.
Atiku posted his opinion on his blog on the
website lamenting the high level of insurgency
resulting in the abduction of female students by
Boko Haram Islamist sect, pointing out Nigerians
can no longer afford any other thing, but a united
commitment to stamp out what he termed ‘’a great
evil that threatens the very existence of the only
place we can call our home.’’
No Boko Haram activities in Lagos —Police
In a related development, the Lagos State Police
Command said yesterday that the rumour about
activities of Boko Haram members in some parts of
the state was false.
The Public Relations Officer, PRO, of the state
Police Command, DSP Ngozi Braide, made this
known at a news conference yesterday, at Premier
College Group of Schools, Palm Avenue, Mushin,
where the sect members allegedly invaded.
“It is not true that there is any act of terrorism
anywhere in Lagos State. It is a lie that the
terrorists invaded Premier College to abduct
students.
“Somebody just sat down somewhere and cooked
up the lies to cause panic in the state.
“Premier College and other schools in the state are
safe and secure; let the public discountenance the
rumour,“ she said.
The Executive Director of the college, Mr Abraham
Martins, spoke in the same vein, describing the
rumour as ”false and baseless.”
There are indications that with the confirmation
that the girls are still within Nigerian territory,
contrary to widespread reports that the girls have
been distributed and ferried out, the original plan
to storm Sambisa forest which was put on hold,
would now be activated.It is however not clear if
and when the the rescue operation would begin.
Nigerian Girl Guides Association expresses worry
Meanwhile, the Nigerian Girl Guides
Association,NGGA, has joined millions of Nigerians
to express worry over the continued abduction of
234 female students and called on the Federal
Government to ensure that the girls are rescued
unhurt to re-unite with their families.
The association, in a statement signed by its Chief
Commissioner, Dame (Dr) Christie Toby also
challenged Nigerians to be security conscious and
assist law enforcement agencies in fighting the
enemies of the nation.
“The NGGA joins all well-meaning people all over
the world to express shock over the abduction of
234 innocent school girls in Borno State.
“We are sad that up till this moment, these girls
are still missing. The NGGA, being a female
organisation, is specially concerned, and
condemns such a heinous act.
“We declare our support for these girls and their
families and pray God to strengthen them in these
trying times. We appreciate the fact that
government is fighting terrorism in Nigeria, but we
are appealing to President Jonathan to ensure that
these girls are returned safely to their families so
that they can continue with their education.
“We also appeal to all security agencies and
people of goodwill to support President Jonathan
as they work to bring back our dear girls,” the
statement added.