Nigerian journalist wanted over Boko Haram video
Mon Aug 15, 2016 09:58:am National
3.1K By sosa hills
A few hours after the Boko Haram sect released a new video on the missing Chibok Girls, the Nigerian Army has declared three persons wanted for their alleged link with the terrorists.
The wanted persons are Aisha Wakil, a journalist, Ahmed Salkida (Ambassador) and Ahmed U. Balori.
In a statement issued on Sunday, Army Spokesman, Col. Sani Usman, said that recent incidents have pointed to the fact that the trio have information on the condition and exact location of the abducted Chibok Girls.
He said the Army's position was informed by the suspects' "link with the last two videos released by the Boko Haram terrorists and other findings of our preliminary investigation."
Col. Usman said that the Army was relying on the Terrorism Prevention Act 2011(as amended) which allows a Nigerian to be prosecuted for failing to disclose information about terrorists or terrorists' activities.
Usman said: "There is no doubt that these individuals have links with the Boko Haram terrorists and have contacts with them.
They must therefore come forward and tell us where the group is keeping the Chibok girls and other abducted persons so that we can rescue them."
Although not much is known about Aisha Wakil, her name has consistently appeared on the list of people allegedly released by the Boko Haram insurgents as among those to represent them in any form of dialogue or negotiation with the government.
Described variously as a mystery lady, Aisha Wakil hails from the South East region of the country, but became a Muslim by marriage.
Meanwhile, the Defence Headquarters (DHQ) has said that it was reviewing the new video where the insurgents accused the military of killing some of the abducted girls in airstrikes.
In the video, some girls wearing headscarves were seen behind a Boko Haram militant who asked the Federal Government to release the group's fighters in return for freeing the girls. The militant alleged that some of the girls had been killed in airstrikes by the Nigerian authorities.
A statement issued by the DHQ Director, Defence Information, Brig.-Gen. Rabe Abubakar, said that the military was examining the video clip to verify its authenticity.
Abubakar said: "Currently we are studying the video clips to verify its authenticity and analysing the comments of the speakers in the video, especially the terrorist member and the girl that spoke in her mother tongue.
"It is extremely difficult and rare to hit innocent people during airstrikes because the operation is done through precision attack on identified and registered targets and locations. The Precision Airstrike is very effective at taking out targeted enemies because it is not a random operation. We are nevertheless studying the video clips to examine if the victims died from other causes or from the allegation of airstrike," he said.
We're in touch with authors of the video, says FG
In its reaction, the Federal Government has said that it is doing everything possible to secure the release of the Chibok Girls and put an end to the horrible saga of their abduction.
The Minister of Information and Culture, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, said in a statement in Abuja on Sunday, that "the government is in touch with those purportedly behind the video".
Mohammed, in the statement signed by his Special Adviser, Mr. Segun Adeyemi, said: 'We are on top of the situation. But we are being extremely careful because the situation has been compounded by the split in the leadership of Boko Haram. We are also being guided by the need to ensure the safety of the girls.
'Since this is not the first time we have been contacted over the issue; we want to be doubly sure that those we are in touch with are who they claim to be''.
Alhaji Mohammed expressed the hope that the latest development will signal the beginning of the end of the nightmare to which the girls, their families and indeed all Nigerians have been subjected to since the unfortunate abduction on April 14, 2014.
The video released by the embattled Boko Haram leader, Abubakar Shekau, who the ISIS claimed was no longer the leader of the group, said that the girls were with him.
A man whose face was covered by a turban in the video posted on YouTube, said: "They should know that their children are still in our hands. There are a number of the girls, about 40 of them that have been married by the decision of Allah.
"Some of them have died as a result of aerial bombardments," he said.
About 276 Chibok schoolgirls were kidnapped on April 14, 2014 in their hostel at the Government Girls Secondary School, Chibok in Borno State.
The wanted persons are Aisha Wakil, a journalist, Ahmed Salkida (Ambassador) and Ahmed U. Balori.
In a statement issued on Sunday, Army Spokesman, Col. Sani Usman, said that recent incidents have pointed to the fact that the trio have information on the condition and exact location of the abducted Chibok Girls.
He said the Army's position was informed by the suspects' "link with the last two videos released by the Boko Haram terrorists and other findings of our preliminary investigation."
Col. Usman said that the Army was relying on the Terrorism Prevention Act 2011(as amended) which allows a Nigerian to be prosecuted for failing to disclose information about terrorists or terrorists' activities.
Usman said: "There is no doubt that these individuals have links with the Boko Haram terrorists and have contacts with them.
They must therefore come forward and tell us where the group is keeping the Chibok girls and other abducted persons so that we can rescue them."
Although not much is known about Aisha Wakil, her name has consistently appeared on the list of people allegedly released by the Boko Haram insurgents as among those to represent them in any form of dialogue or negotiation with the government.
Described variously as a mystery lady, Aisha Wakil hails from the South East region of the country, but became a Muslim by marriage.
Meanwhile, the Defence Headquarters (DHQ) has said that it was reviewing the new video where the insurgents accused the military of killing some of the abducted girls in airstrikes.
In the video, some girls wearing headscarves were seen behind a Boko Haram militant who asked the Federal Government to release the group's fighters in return for freeing the girls. The militant alleged that some of the girls had been killed in airstrikes by the Nigerian authorities.
A statement issued by the DHQ Director, Defence Information, Brig.-Gen. Rabe Abubakar, said that the military was examining the video clip to verify its authenticity.
Abubakar said: "Currently we are studying the video clips to verify its authenticity and analysing the comments of the speakers in the video, especially the terrorist member and the girl that spoke in her mother tongue.
"It is extremely difficult and rare to hit innocent people during airstrikes because the operation is done through precision attack on identified and registered targets and locations. The Precision Airstrike is very effective at taking out targeted enemies because it is not a random operation. We are nevertheless studying the video clips to examine if the victims died from other causes or from the allegation of airstrike," he said.
We're in touch with authors of the video, says FG
In its reaction, the Federal Government has said that it is doing everything possible to secure the release of the Chibok Girls and put an end to the horrible saga of their abduction.
The Minister of Information and Culture, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, said in a statement in Abuja on Sunday, that "the government is in touch with those purportedly behind the video".
Mohammed, in the statement signed by his Special Adviser, Mr. Segun Adeyemi, said: 'We are on top of the situation. But we are being extremely careful because the situation has been compounded by the split in the leadership of Boko Haram. We are also being guided by the need to ensure the safety of the girls.
'Since this is not the first time we have been contacted over the issue; we want to be doubly sure that those we are in touch with are who they claim to be''.
Alhaji Mohammed expressed the hope that the latest development will signal the beginning of the end of the nightmare to which the girls, their families and indeed all Nigerians have been subjected to since the unfortunate abduction on April 14, 2014.
The video released by the embattled Boko Haram leader, Abubakar Shekau, who the ISIS claimed was no longer the leader of the group, said that the girls were with him.
A man whose face was covered by a turban in the video posted on YouTube, said: "They should know that their children are still in our hands. There are a number of the girls, about 40 of them that have been married by the decision of Allah.
"Some of them have died as a result of aerial bombardments," he said.
About 276 Chibok schoolgirls were kidnapped on April 14, 2014 in their hostel at the Government Girls Secondary School, Chibok in Borno State.
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