The Minister said in the process, it was discovered that many of those who claim to have contacts with the Boko Haram in the past or groups posing as negotiators actually had no veritable intelligence nor the reach to facilitate the release of the Chibok girls; that they were clouded by persons with very partisan interests or see the situation as an opportunity to enrich themselves.
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A fresh bid has been launched by the Nigerian government to rescue the missing Chibok schoolgirls two years after they were taken from their school’s dormitory.
Weeks after they made the request, President Muhammadu Buhari said the government was willing to swap the girls. The Government is working in partnership with the UNICEF, NEMA, security agencies and other stakeholders in the rehabilitation and reintegration program.
“This development stalled what would have been the first release process of the Chibok girls”, Mohammed said.
“By 10th December, 2015, another negotiation process was in place, but this failed to achieve results because of the varying demands by the group”.
Recently, the terrorist group released a video of the girls still in their custody and requested for prisoners swap.
“It might take us 40 years before we can forgive and forget Boko Haram insurgents; because the Federal Government do not feel or know what we are going through”.
He said, “We are happy about it (negotiation with Boko Haram), if it is true”.
He disclosed: “These underaged persons we are releasing today were not detained as suspects or accused persons”. The thing is we are dealing with a group that can change the goalposts at any time.
Mohammed said security agencies identified people with relevant intelligence on the group.
He added that negotiations under Jonathan did not start until a year after the 276 girls were captured from a school in Chibok, north-east Nigeria, making it more hard for Buhari.
He added that government got offers ranging from credible and non-credible on how to secure the release of the girls.
Another set of 566 Boko Haram orphans and widows have again been released to Borno State by the military in Maiduguri, the Borno State capital, making it the fourth time the army has done such an exercise.
The Bring Back Our Girls (BBOG) movement, which has been advocating the release of the Chibok girls, renewed protests in August after the release of a video clip showing some of the girls. “We endorse Boko Haram’s demand and want the government to go ahead with the negotiation, but if it is false, then it would be a great blow to the government”. In spite of these, negotiation continued on new modalities.
Not all parents were so optimistic, however.
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Ezugwu said that the gesture was aimed at ensuring that just and innocent Nigerians did not suffer for the atrocities committed by others.
