Punch FG may swap sect commanders for Chibok girls October 19, 2014 by Fidelis Soriwei, Olalekan Adetayo and Adelani Adepegba Strong indications have emerged that the Federal Government may release detained commanders of the Boko Haram sect after the release of the Chibok girls. SUNDAY PUNCH investigations revealed that no commander of the sect had been released in response to the ceasefire agreement reached between the insurgents and the Federal Government, as of the time of filing this report on Saturday night. Government negotiators met with their counterparts negotiating on behalf of the extremist sect in the Chadian capital Ndjamena, on Friday. A security source, who pleaded anonymity because of the sensitive nature of the matter, confided in one of our correspondents that while the current truce would involve prisoners swap, such an exchange was not programmed to precede the release of the Chibok schoolgirls. The girls numbering 219 were abducted by the insurgents from the Government Girls Secondary School, Chibok, Borno State, on April 14, 2014. The source added that there would be categorisation of prisoners to be released in line with the terms and conditions of the agreement reached with the insurgents. It was learnt that the Federal Government is expected to take the first step to activate the peace deal by announcing the ceasefire and directing all security personnel to comply with the deal. It was further learnt that most of the expected beneficiaries of the first phase of prisoners’ release are those with less serious offences. The source added that the security agencies are waiting for the insurgents to take their turn to enforce the second stage of the deal, which is the release of the Chibok girls to take further action. It was also gathered that the issue of prisoner exchange would follow an elaborate process of security checks designed to follow the release of the Chibok girls. The security operatives are said to be making preparations to ascertain the true identity of the girls by interviewing them, their parents, guardians and others, after which the prisoners’ release would take place. The source said, “The deal would involve prisoners’ exchange but there would be categorisation. “The Federal Government has taken the first step; that is, its own side of the deal, which is to declare the ceasefire. That has been done by the Chief of Defence Staff, Air Chief Marshal Alex Badeh. “Definitely, some of the commanders would be released but none has been released so far; most of those who committed minor offences will be released. It is actually a decision for the government to make.” When our correspondent contacted the Director, Defence Information, Maj.-Gen. Chris Olukolade, on the telephone on Saturday on whether the prisoners had been released or (if not) when they are expected to be released, he referred our correspondent to the Presidency. He said, “Everything about that deal, please talk to the Presidency. They are the ones to comment on it.” In a related development, Details and terms for the ceasefire agreement reached between the Boko Haram sect and the Federal Government are expected to be worked out between the two parties at a meeting scheduled to hold on Tuesday. A top government official, who pleaded anonymity, told our correspondent in Abuja on Saturday that the way and the manner in which the 218 schoolgirls abducted six months ago in Chibok, Borno State, would be released among other issues would be decided at that meeting. According to him, the meeting is scheduled to hold in Ndjamena, capital of Chad. He said, “I can tell you authoritatively that nobody has the details or the terms of the agreement yet. It is at the meeting that will hold on Tuesday in Ndjamena that all the details are expected to be thrashed out. “The government expects them to come up straight on how and when they will release the Chibok girls at that meeting. “It is only when that that meeting is successful that we can say that indeed there is a ceasefire. For now, the government is awaiting the outcome of that meeting.” The source also faulted claims that the ceasefire agreement was reached in Saudi Arabia, saying no such meeting was held in that country. He, however, confirmed that President Idriss Deby of Chad has been instrumental in the process of reaching agreement with the sect. He also confirmed that the President’s Private Secretary, Hassan Tukur, was also part of the discussion. He did not say, however, whether Deby will be part of the Tuesday meeting that will hold his country’s capital. Special Adviser to the President on Media and Publicity, Dr. Reuben Abati, could not be reached for comments on the ceasefire agreement as of the time of filing this report. Meanwhile, the BringBackOurGirls coalition said it was cautiously optimistic about the possibility of the girls being released from captivity. The Media Coordinator, BBOG, Rotimi Olawale, said this in a telephone interview on Saturday. He explained that the group was being cautious because there had been a similar promise of ceasefire in the past, which did not amount to anything. Olawale said, “The BBOG is optimistic that the girls would be released soon, though there had been similar promises in the last which did not materialise. “We want the negotiation to be extended to all those abducted by Boko Haram and we hope the government would show genuine commitment to the ceasefire agreement and prioritise the development of the North-East.”
Posted on: Sun, 19 Oct 2014 09:20:40 +0000
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