The Bring Back Our Girls BBOG movement has
advised President Muhammadu Buhari to seize the
initiative in rescuing the 218 abducted Chibok school
girls rather than granting unnecessary powers to the
abductors, the Boko Haram sect, by asking them to
determine the rescue options.
The movement stated this Tuesday in Abuja during
another failed attempt to march on the presidential
villa. It said 869 days since the abduction, no
evidence of persuasive, deliberate and result-
targeted action has been conveyed by the president.
President Buhari had on the side-lines of the sixth
Tokyo International Conference on African
Development (TICAD VI) recently held in Nairobi,
Kenya suggested a willingness to swap the girls with
Boko Haram fighters preferring that the terrorists
engaged an international Non-Governmental
Organization in the intermediation process if they so
wish.
"If they (the terrorists) do not want to talk to us
directly, let them pick an internationally recognized
Non-Governmental Organization, 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”, Mr
Buhari had stated.
However, the BBOG said it was at a loss as to why
terrorists have to determine the process for rescue.
It lamented the current situation whereby it appears
the president now heavily relies on media reports to
gather intelligence about the terrorists.
In the address, jointly signed by its leaders, Oby
Ezekwesili and Aisha Yesufu, BBOG said; “We fail to
understand why our Federal Government is giving so
much powers to determine process and first mover
actions to the terrorists. We have always maintained
that the President has the powers to assemble all
relevant intelligence assets required for determining
the best action in terms of lowest risk option.
Many countries with superior capabilities have
indicated willingness to help our Government gather
security and intelligence assets on this and other
related North East challenges. We were therefore
extremely shocked to read Mr. President state, that
‘some of the information about the division in Boko
Haram is already in the press and I have read it in the
papers about the conflict in their leadership’.
Are we right to conclude from that statement that our
President merely relies on newspaper reports like
the rest of the Nigerian public for information on
such an important and monumental tragedy? This is
a grave basis for concern to our movement.
“So, while we welcome the statement, we counter
that it sounds too tentative and lacking of the
conviction, decisiveness, strong ownership, and
urgent actions required to #BringBackOurGirls. This
tragedy must no longer be allowed to linger any
further! It is time to act with the fiercest urgency and
the authority that must lead this action is our
President, Commander – in-Chief – of-the-Armed-
Forces”.