Chibok schoolgirls: FG not negotiating with abductors —Jonathan

PRESIDENT Goodluck Jonathan, on Sunday, dismissed insinuations that the Federal Government was negotiating with Boko Haram to secure the release of the abducted schoolgirls in Borno.

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Jonathan, at a presidential media chat in Abuja, said the government could not have been negotiating with faceless people.
He, however, reassured parents, guardians and all Nigerians that government would rescue all the abducted girls.
The president, who described the abduction of the innocent girls as painful, appealed to their parents and guardians to cooperate with security agencies to enable them to secure the release of the children.
He said the Federal Government was in touch with the neighbouring countries of Benin Republic, Chad, Niger and those in the North-African sub-continent, to secure the release of the girls.
He expressed satisfaction with the efforts of the nation’s security agencies, noting that the activities of the terrorists were being checked across the country.
The president, who thanked Nigerians for their support, urged them to continue to cooperate and support the security agencies in the ongoing fight against terrorism.

Provide names of your abducted girls, Jonathan tells parentsThe president also called on the parents of the abducted girls, to provide the names of their daughters, as government explored ways to rescue them.
In the seventh edition of the presidential media chat broadcast, he said the principal of the school told him 53 of the girls had been accounted for.
He noted that while the exact figure of the abducted girls was yet to be verified, it could not be said conclusively that it was not all the girls that did not write the Mathematics examination at the time of the incident that was kidnapped, as he noted that some boys did not write the examination as well.
He, however, stressed the determination of government to do all that was necessary to free the girls.
Jonathan said the aim of Boko Haram insurgents was to cause religious war in the country, adding that failure to achieve the objective had frustrated the sect members.
He said their inability to pit Christians against Muslims had led them to target fellow Muslims.
According to him, “the aim of the terrorists is to set Christians against Muslims and if there is no such war, after sometime, they will bomb mosque and that’s what they are doing.”
He reiterated that government could not negotiate with the group since it had remained anonymous, while expressing confident that the nation’s security forces were capable of dealing with the insurgency.
The president rejected comparison between the Islamic sect and Niger Delta militants who the Federal Government struck a deal with in the height of their struggle over oil resources, saying that the militants made themselves available for meetings with government.
The President noted that the nation’s security forces had not been properly equipped, adding that government was now doing what had not been done for 20 years for the forces.
Recalling that the first Boko Haram blast took place in Abuja, Jonathan observed that progress had been made in suppressing the excesses of the group, adding that Nigeria was not alone in the terrorism phenomenon.
According to him, the country was an attractive target because it was the leader in Africa and the most important black nation in the world.
On the possible extension of the state of emergency in Borno, Yobe and Adamawa states, he said government was still consulting and would not hesitate to do so when necessary.
He, however, said the emergency rule was effective in containing the insurgency. Also answering questions on the World Economic Forum coming up in Abuja this week, he stressed the benefits to the country, as he explained government’s decision to shut down parts of the federation capital.
He appealed to Nigerians to understand the intricacies involved in the movement of country leaders, saying that “stay away from work and school” notice was to prevent Nigerians from spending long hours in traffic.
On corruption, he assured that if the kind of money, as claimed by former Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) governor, Lamido Sanusi, was missing from the nation’s purse, America would have found out, assuring that relevant agencies were, already investigating the claim.
Jonathan also said he would not increase the pump price of petrol through the backdoor following the hoarding of the products by marketers, adding that government had no such plan at the moment.
On 2015 presidential race, he urged Nigerians not to worry about whether he would declare or not but more of how the economy was managed, reminding Nigerians that the opposition All Progressives Congress (APC) was yet to announce its candidate.
Jonathan queries Borno gov, school principalPresident Jonathan was, on Saturday, said to have queried Borno State governor, Kassim Shettima, over some observed laxities that led to the abduction of 234 schoolgirls from Government Girls Secondary School, Chibok, two weeks ago.
The president, who met with the governor, the state commissioner for education, principal of the school and Senate President, David Mark, as well as some top security chiefs, was said to have expressed disappointment at the handling of the circumstances leading to the abduction.
He was said to have given a strict directive to the governor to ensure that all the schoolgirls were found alive and rescued.
According to sources, the president expressed worry that adequate measures were not put in place to ensure the safety of the schoolgirls,
especially when security reports had indicated that the insurgents were targeting women and girls.
Sources in the administration had confided in the Nigerian Tribune that the president was unhappy that the school was left practically unguarded, even when the Federal Government had taken proactive measures to shut down its schools in the troubed area.
He was said to have expressed concern that the principal was unable to provide accurate number of students taken away from the school up till now.
“The president expects that all levels of government will take the fight against terror such that adequate precautions are taken at every point. He believes that ordinary guarantees by the community cannot serve as adequate security measure,” a source said.
The president, who was locked in a three-hour meeting with Governor Shettima, stressed the need to locate and rescue the girls urgently.
The meeting, which started in the First Lady’s Wing of the Presidential Villa at 9.00 p.m. and ended at about 12 midnight, was a follow-up of the president’s meeting with security chiefs and other government officials to explore ways to bring back the girls.
Briefing State House correspondents after the meeting, the Special Adviser to the President on Media and Publicity, Dr Reuben Abati, said it was a demonstration of the government’s commitment to resolving the problem.
He said it was to further show his determination to make sure that the girls were brought back to safety, adding that no stone would be left unturned to make sure this was achieved.
“There was a lot of discussion. This is the first time the president will be meeting with all the other key persons like the school principal, the local government chairman and the commissioner of police,” he said.
The meeting followed a similar one convened by the First Lady, Patience Jonathan, with officials of the West African Examinations Council (WAEC) on Friday.
The wife of the president had invited the head of WAEC national office, Mr Charles Eguridu, to a meeting of wives of state governors, female legislators and leaders of various women organisations, to strategise on the best ways to ensure the release of the abducted children.
Eguridu told the meeting that WAEC was initially reluctant to conduct examination in the area because of the security challenges, but had to succumb when Governor Shettima assured the council in writing that adequate security would be provided.
He said a total of 530 students were enrolled for examination in Chibok, adding that contrary to the widespread belief, Chibok Government Secondary School was a mixed institution.
Eguridu maintained that after the abduction of the girls, 189 students were transferred to Uba examination centre where they were continuing with the examinations.
He told the meeting that WAEC wrote officially through the Federal Ministry of Education, asking the state government to relocate the students from the centre, but was assured at the last minute by the Borno State government that adequate security arrangements had been provided to enable the examination to go on at Chibok centre.
Eguridu tendered the letters written separately to the three north eastern state governors.
He, thereafter, presented the students biodata containing the passport photographs of all the 530 candidates that registered at the Chibok centre for WAEC.
According to a statement issued by Ayo Adewuyi, media assistant to the First Lady, on Saturday, WAEC also informed Mrs Jonathan that the enrollment list and the passport photographs of the registered students for Chibok Secondary School examination centre were available.
Borno State Commissioner for Women Affairs, Hajia Inna Galadima, who stood in for the wife of the governor, Nana Shettima, also told the meeting that 53 girls were currently in custody of the state government.
The meeting resolved to set up a committee to unravel the circumstances surrounding the abduction of the schoolgirls.
The six-member committee, chaired by the wife of Borno State governor, Hajia Shettima, was advised to invite the principal of the school, two teachers from the school’s Parents Teachers Association (PTA), two parents whose children were still missing, two parents whose children escaped, two of the students that escaped, the Commissioner of Police in the state and the Divisional Police Officer (DPO) covering Chibok.
Insurgents steal food from Borno MarketSuspected members of the dreaded sect, Boko Haram, were reported to have attacked a village market at Kayamla, about seven kilometres away from Maiduguri, the Borno State capital, where they were said to have carted away food items in about four Hilux van and headed towards Sambisa forest.
During the incident, which occurred on Sunday, according to an eyewitness who spoke to the Nigerian Tribune, the insurgent did not shoot anybody, as everyone took to their heels and disappeared, leaving behind their wares, but those who came behind reported that the insurgents burnt down the market.
“We saw when they were coming and we knew they were not security operatives. They announced their presence by firing shots into the air and we all left what we were doing and began to run for our lives. If you ask me, I don’t know how I got to town, but those who came later said they burnt the market and took away food items and some goats and rams,” the eyewitness said.
He added from what he was told, there was no casualty, as the gunmen did not fire at the locals or anybody in the market.
“Maybe they killed people later, but even those who came behind us said they did not see anybody being shot at. I think they only came to look for food, not lives, otherwise, many people, perhaps including myself, would have died,” he said.
Northern Xtian elders release names of abducted schoolgirls
The president, Northern Christian Elders, Evangelist Matthew Owojaiye of the Old Time Revival Hour Church in Kaduna, on Sunday, published a list of 180 abducted girls of the Government Secondary School in Chibok, calling on all Nigerian Christians to pray for their safe release.
He did not say how he obtained the list, and an online medium where it was published could not authenticate it.
In a statement on Sunday, he said “majority of the girls were Christians. Why did Boko Haram visit Chibok Local Government? Why didn’t they visit so many other local government girls secondary schools in Borno State?”
The list, published by Evangelist Owojaiye, features 180 girls, of whom 165 are said to be Christians.
In the statement, he warned that “ordinary” military approach might be unable to solve the problem of securing their release, but that intensive prayers would.
The names of the 180 girls, according to the release, are: Deborah Abge Chrstian, Awa Abge, Hauwa Yirma, Asabe Manu, Mwa Malam pogu, Patiant Dzakwa, Saraya Mal. Stover, Mary Dauda, Gloria Mainta, Hanatu Ishaku, Gloria Dama, Tabitha Pogu, Maifa Dama, Ruth kollo, Esther Usman, Awa James, Anthonia Yahonna, Kume Mutah, Aisha Ezekial, Nguba Buba, Kwanta Simon, Kummai Aboku, Esther Markus, Hana Stephen, Rifkatu Amos, Rebecca Mallum, Blessing Abana, Ladi Wadai, Tabitha Hyelampa, Ruth Ngladar, Safiya Abdu, Na’omi Yahonna, Solomi Titus.
Others are: Rhoda John, Rebecca Kabu, Christy Yahi, Rebecca Luka, Laraba John, Saratu Markus, Mary Usman, Debora Yahonna, Naomi Zakaria, Hanatu Musa, Hauwa Tella, Juliana Yakubu, Suzana Yakubu, Saraya Paul, Jummai Paul, Mary Sule, Jummai John, Yanke Shittima.
Also, on list are: Muli Waligam, Fatima Tabji, Eli Joseph, Saratu Emmanuel, Deborah Peter, Rahila Bitrus, Luggwa Sanda, Kauna Lalai, Lydia Emmar, Laraba Maman, Hauwa Isuwa, Confort Habila, Hauwa Abdu, Hauwa Balti, Yana Joshua, Laraba Paul, Saraya Amos, Glory Yaga, Na’omi Bitrus, Godiya Bitrus, Awa Bitrus, Na’omi Luka, Maryamu Lawan, Tabitha Silas, Mary Yahona, Ladi Joel, Rejoice Sanki, Luggwa Samuel, Comfort Amos, Saraya Samuel, Sicker Abdul, Talata Daniel, Rejoice Musa, Deborah Abari, Salomi Pogu, Mary Amor, Ruth Joshua, Esther John, Esther Ayuba, Maryamu Yakubu, Zara Ishaku, Maramu Wavi, Lydia Habila, Laraba Yahonna, Na’omi Bitrus, Rahila Yahanna, Ruth Lawan, Ladi Paul, Mary Paul, Esther Joshua, Helen Musa, Margret Watsai, Deborah Jafaru, Filo Dauda, Febi Haruna, Ruth Ishaku, Racheal Nkeki, Rifkatu Soloman, Mairama Yahaya, Saratu Dauda, Jinkai Yama, Margret Shettima, Yana Yidau, Grace Paul, Amina Ali, Palmata Musa, Awagana Musa, Pindar Nuhu, Yana Pogu, Saraya Musa, Hauwa Joseph, Hauwa Kwakwi, Hauwa Musa, Maryamu Musa, Maimuna Usman, Rebeca Joseph, Liyatu Habitu, Rifkatu Yakubu, Naomi Philimon, Deborah Abbas, Ladi Ibrahim, Asabe Ali, Maryamu Bulama, Ruth Amos, Mary Ali, Abigail Bukar, Deborah Amos, Saraya Yanga, Kauna Luka, Christiana Bitrus, Yana Bukar, Hauwa Peter, Hadiza Yakubu, Lydia Simon, Ruth Bitrus, Mary Yakubu, Lugwa Mutah, Muwa Daniel, Hanatu Nuhu, Monica Enoch, Margret Yama, Docas Yakubu, Rhoda Peter, Rifkatu Galang, Saratu Ayuba, Naomi Adamu, Hauwa Ishaya, Rahap Ibrahim, Deborah Soloman, Hauwa Mutah, Hauwa Takai, Serah Samuel,
The Muslim girls are: Aishatu Musa, Aishatu Grema, Hauwa Nkeki, Hamsatu Abubakar, Mairama Abubakar, Hauwa Wule, Ihyi Abdu, Hasana Adamu, Rakiya Kwamtah, Halima Gamba, Aisha Lawan, Kabu Malla, Yayi Abana, Falta Lawan, Kwadugu Manu.
Church declares one-month prayer
St. Patrick’s Catholic Church in Akwanga, Nasarawa State, on Sunday, announced a special prayer for the freedom of schoolgirls abducted in Chibok.
Reverend Father Azige Alfred, the Assistant Parish Priest of the church, during his sermon, said the prayer became imperative to seek God’s intervention.
“The church has decided to intercede for the release of the abducted girls throughout May,” he said.
He urged members of the church and Nigerians to ask God to help the girls to regain freedom.
Alfred also said because of the security challenges in the country, the church had taken some measures to protect members.
Northern leaders must intervene —Group
A non-government organisation, United Alliance, on Sunday, said northern leaders, especially from the North-East, must intervene in the lingering crisis over the abduction of schoolgirls.
The group, in a statement endorsed by its northern coordinator, Mallam Bashir Ado, said sponsoring women to embark on protests in Abuja could not produce the desired results, adding that the elders must intervene directly in the matter.
“It is not enough to see the problem as that of the military. The military did not create the problem. If the elders interceded on behalf of the people, the perpetrators would definitely have a change of attitude,” the statement read.
“With the continued silence from the elders, some people are already insinuating that the disappearance of the girls is part of the northern elders’ agenda to embarrass and distract the Goodluck Jonathan government,” the group added.
The statement also indicated that the principal and the state government left a lot of gaps in the story they narrated to the world, adding that no one had seen a correct record of the number of missing girls.
Mark, Ndoma-Egba insist on full military actionSenate President, Mark on Sunday. insisted that the time had come for full military action against elements of Boko Haram, who took some 234 schoolgirls hostage in Chibok since two weeks ago.
Mark, who spoke in Asaba, Delta State, said the sect was taking the plan by the government to negotiate as a sign of weakness, adding that dialogue with Boko Haram was no longer feasible.
Also on Sunday, Senate Leader, Victor Ndoma-Egba, said the time was ripe for a full military action on Boko Haram sect.
Ndoma-Egba, in a statement in Abuja, backed an earlier request by Mark, who had called for full military action against the insurgents.
He noted that dialogue with the insurgents might not do the magic, adding that the sect appeared determined to wreak havoc on the people.
While speaking in Asaba during a church service, Mark said: “They (Boko Haram) have touched the hearts and souls of Nigerians by abducting and kidnapping our children. Children are our future. They have, in effect, declared war on Nigeria and Nigerians. We are not going to sit down and fold our arms. The Federal Government must intensify military action against the perpetrators and bring the issue of Boko Haram to a logical conclusion.”
Senator Ndoma-Egba also said: “as a parent, I fully understand the anguish parents of these girls are going through, not to talk of the trauma these girls have been subjected to. This is the time for a decisive military action, so that we can take back our country from these insurgents. God forbid; they will never overcome us.”
Intensify efforts, S/East govt tells FGGovernors of the South-East geopolitical zone, on Sunday, met in Enugu, with a call on the Federal Government to intensify more efforts in its search for the missing schoolgirls.
Reading out the two-page communique to newsmen shortly after their meeting at the Government House, Enugu, the chairman of the South-east Governors’ Forum, Theodore Orji of Abia State, also urged the Federal Government to make the names of missing girls public.
The governors further expressed their condolences to the families of the victims of the bomb blast that occured at Nyanya on May 1, praying God to give them the fortitude to bear the loss.
The Igbo governors also expressed their condolences to the family of the immediate-past President-General of Ohanaeze Ndigbo, Chief Ralph Uwechue, who died recently, adding that they would soon pay the bereaved family a visit to commiserate with them.
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