Negotiator Involved In a Bid to Free Abducted Girls

 

A United Kingdom -based television station Channels 4 News which disclosed this on Tuesday did not say if the negotiator is acting on his own or on behalf of the federal or Borno State Government.

Although the  station quoted him as saying that the girls’ release was “within reach,” he also  warned  that their fate    rested on a knife-edge because of the fear  by the insurgents  that the military might try to forcibly free them.

“The girls, we believe, are alive but they have been moved from the location to which they were originally taken,” he said.

“It would not be hard to engineer a deal. It looks like they want to release them. They want a way out, “added the intermediary, whom Channel 4 News credited with having a long experience of dealing directly with   Boko Haram in previous hostage crises.

The negotiator, who wanted to remain anonymous for reasons of personal security, said the group  was  demanding a ransom but added, “we are hoping they will soften their stance.”

The kidnappers had warned, however, that attempts by the military to use might to  secure the girls’ freedom “may result in the death” of many of them.

He stated that some members of the sect  group  were  arguing over what to do with the girls, who were forcibly married off with a bride price of just N2,000 after they had been converted to Islam.

The negotiator  stated that “the danger now is that the military will get involved and that can only end badly.”

“They have a problem. They have over 200 captives and moving them  around cannot remain hidden. There is good, reliable, local knowledge as to their location. The military knows where they are,” he stated.

He added that the hostage-takers had  been asked for a list of the girls’ names as proof-of-life.

There were reports on Tuesday that the insurgents had taken the girls to Chad and Cameroon.

The  headteacher of the government secondary, Mrs Asabe Kwambura, had said on Tuesday  that   10 more  girls had   been “recovered.”

 “For now, the total number of girls we have recovered is 53 while many others   are still missing,”   Kwambura said.

When one of our correspondents contacted the Director of Defence Information, Maj.Gen .Chris Olukolade, for his comment on the issue, he referred him to the Presidency and the Federal Ministry of Information.