The
purported Secretary General of terrorist Boko Haram sect, Danladi Ahmadu, who
represented the group and negotiated the recent ceasefire agreement with the
Nigerian government, has affirmed that the abducted Chibok schoolgirls would be
released soon to Chadian President, Idriss Derby, for onward presentation to
the Nigerian government.
Ahmadu, who
spoke on the Hausa Service of the Voice of America on Friday, also stated that
the ceasefire agreement with the federal government was still valid.
In a swift
reaction to the promise of freedom for the Chibok schoolgirls, the Principal
Private Secretary to the President, Ambassador Hassan Tukur, who has been leading
the federal government team for negotiation, simply said: "We will keep
our fingers crossed".
About 219
schoolgirls are still missing after the terrorists invaded Government Secondary
School, Chibok, Borno State in April and abducted over 270 girls.
Many had
been worried when some members of the sect attacked villages in Borno and
Adamawa states, less than 24 hours after the said ceasefire was announced.
But Ahmadu
disclosed that the final meeting between the group and the federal government
to finally seal the ceasefire agreement had been scheduled for next Monday in
Ndjamena, Chad, and to be supervised by the Chadian leader.
He added
that an enlarged meeting of the group had been fixed for the weekend to prepare
ground for the Monday meeting with the federal government and affirmed that the
final ceasefire and the release of the Chibok schoolgirls were promises that
would be fulfilled by the group.
Ahmadu also
disclosed to VOA that the group and the federal government were in close
consultations over arrangements for the Monday meeting in Chad.
Commenting
on the latest kidnap of over 40 women and girls in the border villages between
Adamawa and Borno states, the Secretary General maintained that as far as Boko
Haram was concerned, it is not aware of the latest kidnap and attacks.
He added
that the group was investigating the latest kidnap and attacks to determine the
involvement of its members, admitting that many anti-social groups have
infiltrated Boko Haram.
Danladi
Ahmadu stated that political thugs, armed robbers, kidnappers, hired assassins
and other anti-social groups now parade themselves as members of the sect, but
was quick to add that if the ceasefire agreement is sealed, all the groups
would fizzle out.
No fewer
than 50 women and girls were abducted by suspected Boko Haram members from
Gartu in Michika, Adamawa State and Waga Mongoro, a border village between
Madagali in Adamawa State and Gwoza in Borno State after a ceasefire agreement
with the insurgents was announced by Nigeria’s Chief of Defence Staff, Alex
Badeh.
The
terrorist sect allegedly signed the ceasefire agreement with the federal
government in Saudi Arabia on October 17.
The
ceasefire agreement was announced by Badeh at the end of a two-day Coordinating
Conference on Cameroon-Nigeria Trans-Border Military Operations at the Defence
Intelligence Agency (DIA), Headquarters in Abuja.
A presidency
source said consistent losses suffered by the terrorist group and the renewed
determination of the military to wipe them out forced the sect to sign the
ceasefire deal.
The Boko
Haram terrorists have been causing havoc in the North-east through a wave of
bombings, assassinations and abductions while fighting to “overthrow the
government and create an Islamic state.”
Badeh said
that the ceasefire agreement with the terrorists would not affect the accord
reached with Cameroon for joint security border operations.
He further
directed all the service chiefs to comply with the new ceasefire agreement.
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