Boko Haram
The Muslim Rights Concern, MURIC, has dismissed the new video where the Boko Haram sect claimed that the Nigerian military had bombed some Chibok girls as sheer propaganda, adding that it is a clear proof that the bombardment by the nation’s military is biting hard and hitting the insurgents where it hurts most.
Describing the new move as a calculated attempt to whip up anti-air campaign sentiments, MURIC reasoned that Boko Haram released the video because its logistics are in shambles, stressing that the sect is surrounded on all sides with its supplies cut off.
In a statement signed on Monday by its Acting Director, Abdul Razaq Uthman, and Public Relations Officer, Shefiu Ayorinde, the group noted that the game is up, calling on the Boko Haram insurgents to surrender instead of trying to hoodwink Nigerians with anachronistic tactics.
According to the statement, “Boko Haram is known to have filmed its own dastardly operations. The victims shown in the video may have been victims of its several massacres of innocent civilians. The new video is nothing more than a fabrication. It is used as a ruse to escape the current pressure. It is also obvious that the girl in the video spoke under duress.
“The new video is a ploy to discredit the Nigerian military. It is also calculated to incite Nigerians, particularly parents of the Chibok girls, their immediate neighbours, the Bring Back Our Girls group and the world at large against the Federal Government (FG). This may result in protests against bombings erupting in Abuja, Lagos and other key cities. The international community may also lash out at the FG over the method adopted to wage the war against the insurgents.”
MURIC, which advised Nigerians and the international community against falling into the trap of Boko Haram strategists as the sect is shedding crocodile tears, asked: “When did Boko Haram hoodlums become interested in the welfare of the abducted Chibok girls?”
It continued, “Nobody should blame the Nigerian military for bombing the insurgents. Air superiority has always been used to gain advantage over the enemy, expedite military campaigns and minimize casualty particularly in terra incognito like the wide forests of Sambisa. There has also been increasing evidence that the Nigerian Army under its current leadership has been more professional and more committed to the military campaign in the North East. It has manifested all the qualities of a liberating army.
“Neither should we blame the present administration for the plight of the Chibok girls. While we admit that government is a continuum and any new administration must not only inherit the assets of the past government, it must also inherit its challenges and responsibilities, it will be grossly unfair to overlook the criminal negligence of the Jonathan administration.
“Although the abduction took place on April 14, 2014, it is on record that ex-President Goodluck Jonathan refused to take action for weeks after that. The girls would have been rescued if the army had received an order for hot pursuit within hours of the abduction. But it was delayed until the abductors reached their safe haven. Jonathan, for reasons best known to him, allowed the criminals to dig in.
“We advise the military to leave Ahmad Salkida (the journalist) alone. Scapegoatism is the last thing expected of the Nigerian Army in this dicey situation. The alert sent out on the journalist is suggestive of desperation. The security agencies should collaborate, exchange information via regular situation report sessions and use the intelligence gathered so far to trace the girls.
“Whoever assumes that Ahmad Salkida knows the exact location of the girls is being naïve. Do you think the insurgents will be stupid enough to meet him anywhere near the girls’ hideout? Do you expect them to repose 100% trust in him? Have you ever heard of kidnappers meeting negotiators near their victim? The army must think of something else. Ahmad Salkida is not the problem. It will be unprofessional to scare the insurgents from approaching this journalist in future. We must also think of his personal safety as well as that of members of his family.”
MURIC threw its weight behind negotiation with the insurgents to secure the release of the girls, adding that exchange may also become necessary as offered by them in the new video. It, however, advised that government must ensure that the country is not short-changed in the process as the parents have suffered enough.
The group concluded by declaring that, “the new video as mere ruse designed to save Boko Haram from total annihilation. We affirm that it is naïve to blame the army or the present administration for the plight of the Chibok girls. We charge the military to relentlessly continue its onslaught on Boko Haram insurgents, bombings inclusive. We call on the insurgents to surrender. They should accept the military’s offer of good treatment for those who freely submit themselves.”
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