The Federal Government is ready to conclude a swap deal with the Boko Haram terrorists to rescue the Chibok girls.
President Muhammadu Buhari made the government’s stand known in Nairobi, Kenya while addressing reporters at the sixth Tokyo International Conference on African Development (TICAD VI).
The president said the only condition attached to the move is that his government must be sure that Boko Haram must send in its bonafide leaders who know the girls’ whereabouts.
The president said he would gladly discuss with the insurgents if they reach the government through an internationally recognised non-governmental organisation.
“I have made a couple of comments on the Chibok girls and it seems to me that much of it has been politicised. What we said is that the government, which I preside over, is prepared to talk to bonafide leaders of Boko Haram,” Buhari said.
“If they do not want to talk to us directly, let them pick an internationally recognised Non-Governmental Organisation, 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 recognised NGO, then Nigeria will be prepared to discuss for their release.”
The president noted that even though his administration desperately wants the girls rescued alive as soon as possible, his government will not negotiate with fraudulent people who are only out to scam the country.
The president said: “Some of the information about the division in Boko Haram is already in the press and I have read in the papers about the conflict in their leadership. The person known in Nigeria as their leader, we understand was edged out and the Nigerian members of Boko Haram started turning themselves to the Nigerian military.
“We learnt that in an air strike by the Nigeria Air Force he was wounded. Indeed their top hierarchy and lower cadre have a problem and we know this because when we came into power, they were holding 14 out of the 774 local governments in Nigeria. But now they are not holding any territory and they have split to small groups attacking soft targets.”
The president said his government is also open to dialogue with the Avengers and other groups agitating in the Niger Delta region.
He said, “We do not believe that they (the militants) have announced ceasefire. We are trying to understand them more. Who are their leaders and which areas do they operate and other relevant issues.
