…says FG ready to swap terrorists for Chibok schoolgirls
President Muhammadu Buhari has, once again, vowed to deal with Niger Delta militants the same way his administration dealt with Boko Haram if they fail to negotiate with the Federal Government.
Buhari said the attention of his administration is now focused on stopping the destruction of the country’s economic assets by militants in the oil-rich region. Also, the president expressed readiness to release Boko Haram members in various prisons across the country in exchange for the over 200 schoolgirls kidnapped by the sect two years ago.
The president spoke yesterday on the sidelines at the sixth Tokyo International Conference on African Development (TICAD VI) in Nairobi, Kenya. He assured existing and prospective foreign investors that their investments in Nigeria would be fully secured and protected.
The president noted that the militants must dialogue with the Federal Government or be dealt with in the same way like Boko Haram. “We are talking to some of their leaders. We will deal with them as we dealt with Boko Haram if they refuse to talk to us.
“As a government, we know our responsibility, which is to secure the environment. It is clear to us that lenders won’t fund projects in insecure environments. “We realise that we have to secure the country before we can efficiently manage it,” the president said.
The military has sustained operations in the North-East to rout the Boko Haram terrorists with many insurgents killed. The president said the Federal Government is open to dialogue to resolve all contending issues in the Niger Delta.
“We do not believe that they (the militants) have announced ceasefire. We are trying to understand them more. Who are their leaders and which areas do they operate and other relevant issues,” he said.
Buhari also told the Japanese Prime Minister, Shinzo Abe, that security in the Gulf of Guinea, which is greatly affected by piracy and armed robbery at sea, was a priority for the Nigerian government.
“We have provided funds to our Navy to buy new platforms, train and effectively organise the personnel to protect the area. We are looking forward to support from developed nations for satellite surveillance covering the Gulf,” the President said.
Meanwhile, the president said that the Federal Government would only begin negotiations with Boko Haram if their original leaders were identified. According to the president, the sect can proceed in getting the involvement of international organisation in any planned negotiation if they do not trust the sincerity of government.
He said: “The Nigerian government is ready to dialogue with bona fide leaders of the terror group who know the whereabouts of the girls. “If they do not want to talk to us directly, let them pick an internationally recognised non-governmental organisation (NGO), convince them that they are holding the girls and that they want Nigeria to release a number of Boko Haram leaders in detention, which they are supposed to know.”
The terrorist group had, in a recent video, demanded the release of its commanders in detention as condition for the release of the schoolgirls who have remained in captivity since April 14, 2014, when they were abducted.
In the video, one of the Chibok girls, Maida Yakubu, called on parents to appeal to the Federal Government, to accede to the request to free detained fighters, for their (the Chibok girls’) rescue. Buhari lamented that much of his comments about Boko Harm were already being politicised.
“If they do it through the ‘modified leadership’ of Boko Haram and they talk with an internationally recognised NGO, then Nigeria will be prepared to discuss for their release,” Buhari said.
He also warned that the Federal Government would not waste time and resources with “doubtful sources,” claiming to know the whereabouts of the girls. “We want those girls out and safe.
The faster we can recover them and hand them over to their parents, the better for us,” he said. Buhari also stressed that the terror group, which pledged allegiance to ISIS, has been largely decimated by the Nigerian military with the support of immediate neighbours from Chad, Cameroon, Niger and Benin.
“Some of the information about the division in Boko Haram is already in the press and I have read in the papers about the conflict in their leadership. “The person known in Nigeria as their leader, we understand was edged out and the Nigerian members of Boko Haram started turning themselves to the Nigerian military.
“We learnt that in an air strike by the Nigeria Air Force he (Abubakar Shekau) was wounded. Indeed, their top hierarchy and lower cadre have a problem and we know this because when we came into power, they were holding 14 out of the 774 local governments in Nigeria. But now they are not holding any territory and they have split to small groups attacking soft targets,” Buhari stated.
While recalling his audience with G7 leaders in Germany, which was attended by the Prime Minister, Buhari thanked Japan for responding positively to the requests by Nigeria for the rehabilitation of victims of Boko Haram and rebuilding of infrastructure in the North Eastern part of the country.
The president, however, said there was still more to do on education, health and other infrastructure to ensure quick and voluntary return of displaced persons to their native communities.
On the United Nations Security Council reform, Buhari agreed to work with Japan for the reforms, stressing that the case for a permanent seat for Africa on the Council was a moral one.
He equally expressed Nigeria’s support for Japan in their bid for a UN resolution on the problems in East China and South China as well as the “uncontrolled nuclear tests by North Korea.”
“The UN system is sufficient for the resolutions of all disputes and no nation should be above the United Nations. “This has to be made absolutely clear and I assure the Prime Minister that I will meet as many leaders as possible at the forthcoming UN General Assembly concerning the issues,” he said. In his remarks, Prime Minister Abe congratulated Buhari “for courageously tackling Boko Haram terrorism.”
He said Nigeria and Japan must work together to improve the investment climate in view of the many Japanese companies wishing to invest in Nigeria. He reaffirmed Japan’s commitment to rapid development in Nigeria through quality delivery of ongoing projects in the country, including Jebba hydropower scheme and the Lagos railway project.
– New Telegraph
