FG begins negotiations with Boko Haram

Relief may soon come the way of parents of abducted Chibok girls as President Muhammadu Buhari said that his administration has started negotiations with the Boko Haram sect that abducted them over a year ago.

The president, who spoke on Tuesday in France, however, added that the government was still making serious efforts to determine the genuine leaders of the sect.

He spoke during his interaction with members of the Nigerian community in France under the auspices of Nigerians in Diaspora Organisation (NIDO).

Read also: Nigeria arrests Boko Haram commander linked with suicide attacks

He explained that the global attention and sympathy the ugly incident has attracted informed the negotiation but maintained that despite the step being taken, his government was not ready to release the developer of the sect’s IED which he said was one of the conditions demanded by the sect.

“The issue of Chibok girls has occupied our minds and because of the international attention it drew and the sympathy through out the country and the world, the government is negotiating with some of the Boko Haram leadership.

“It is a very sensitive development in the sense that first we have to establish, are they genuine leaders of the Boko Haram. That is number one. Number two, what are their terms, the first impression we had was not very encouraging.

“They wanted us to release one of their leaders who is a strategic person in developing and making Improvised IEDs that is causing a lot of havoc in the country by blowing people in Churches, Mosque, market places, motor parks and other places. But its very important that if we are going to talk to anybody, we have to know how much he is worth”, the president said.

He added:“Let them bring all the girls and then, we will be prepared to negotiate, I will allow them to come back to Nigeria, or to be absolved in the community”.

About 219 girls were abducted by the Boko Haram sect from their school in Chibok Community, Borno State more than a year ago leading to serious outcries both locally and internationally.

The military has also intensified efforts to free the girls but to no avail.

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