Civil society group at the forefront of rallies for the release of the abducted Chibok girls has said the military high command admitted at a meeting with the coalition that it did not have the equipment and weapon to rescue the schoolgirls from the camp of the Boko Haram sect.
The head, Mobilisation Committee of the ‘bring back our girls’ group, Jibrim Ibrahim, said some military chiefs told representatives of the movement at a meeting in Abuja on Tuesday that the military spent most of its budget on “expendables” such as fueling operational vehicles, personnel allowances and other things.
Ibrahim, who was briefing members of the group on Wednesday on the outcome of
their meeting with the Chief of Defence Staff at the Defence Headquarters, Abuja, explained that the military command also said it was hindered by lack of intelligence as well as the strained relationship between the Federal Government and Borno State Government.
He said,”During our meeting with about eight Generals at the Defence headquarters, they told us that the military did not engage in regular purchase of equipment and that they lacked the necessary asset to undertake the rescue of the abducted girls.
“They are also affected by the strained relationship between the Federal Government and Borno State Government because they are not getting any information and intelligence-gathering, which is a challenge.”
Ibrahim stated that the group representatives told the military chiefs that their decision to relinquish information dissemination on the abduction to Borno State Government was not right because the state government was not conducting the rescue of the girls, but the military.
The group’s coordinator and former Minister of Education, Oby Ezekwesili, called for unity between the FG and Borno State Government, so they could work together and rescue the girls.
She called for a military surge to combat Boko Haram terrorists in Sambisa forest and the North-East as a whole.
Ezekwesili raised the alarm over alleged threat to one of the Chibok women leaders, Naomi Mutah, by the police.
She cautioned the police against harassing Mutah, saying the lady complained that the police were threatening and harassing her.
Meanwhile, the Nigeria Police has offered a cash reward of N50million to anyone who volunteers credible information that will lead to the location and rescue of the female students abducted from Government Girls Secondary School, Chibok, Borno State.
This is contained in a statement by the Police Public Relations Officer, CSP Frank Mba, posted on the website of the Nigeria Police Force.
He said, “The Force urges all patriotic citizens with such useful information to contact the following numbers: 09-2914649, 08081777309, 08055547536, 08032125050, 08034617591, 08035969731.
“While calling on the general public to be part of the solution to the present security challenge, the Police High Command also reassures all citizens that any information given would be treated anonymously and with utmost confidentiality.”
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