Some of the released Chibok girls |
Strong
indications have emerged that troops and security personnel involved in the
ongoing counter-terrorism campaign against Boko Haram are unhappy with the
release of five top Boko Haram commanders.
The
commanders were said to have been released in exchange for the 21 of the Chibok
schoolgirls who regained their freedom on Thursday.
Some
security personnel, who confided on the matter , said that while the return of
the girls is worth celebrating, those in the armed services are not pleased
with what Nigeria gave in exchange for the girls.
Investigations
revealed that the military expressed reservations about the swap which saw the
release of five terrorist commanders in exchange for the 21 girls.
Troops
and some military commanders are further worried by the fact that the release
of terrorist commanders could impact negatively on the ongoing campaign to
flush out the insurgents from the North-East.
It
was further gathered that some of the troops were not happy that Boko Haram
commanders, who had killed civilians and security personnel, were traded for
the girls.
The
Chief of Army Staff, Lt.-Gen. Tukur Buratai, reportedly said on Wednesday that
the Army had rescued over two million captives from the Boko Haram sect to
date.
The
Chief of Civil Military Relations of the Nigerian Military, Maj.-Gen. Peter
John, said this while representing Buratai at a recent event organised by the
Coalition of Civil Society Groups to mark the United Nations World Peace Day.
The
Army, which is leading other services in the fight against the insurgency in
the North-East, has been engrossed in the search for the Chibok girls.
Investigations,
however, revealed that senior military figures in strategic places only knew of
the release of the girls when the news broke on Thursday.
However,
a top military figure said that the information on the negotiation for the
release of the Chibok girls was not meant to be known to the public.
The
source said the negotiation was purely the responsibility of the political
leadership.
This,
he said does not in any way foreclose, the ongoing military operation in the
area.
The
source said, “You must understand that it is not all information that we
release to people. The lives of those girls were at stake. Negotiations
securely rest on the shoulders of political leaders, but that does not mean
that military operations will not continue. We must protect the civilian
populace from attacks and build confidence in the citizenry.
“It
was a political decision; we are under the political leadership. We derive our
mandate from the constitution as provided for by democratic governance.
“The
military action must continue and it is going on as planned. We are working
round the clock, in concert with other security agencies, to ensure that the
remaining girls are also rescued.”
The
Acting Director, Defence Information, Brig. Gen. Rabe Abubakar, could not be
reached for his comment on the story as
calls to his mobile telephone line did not connect.
Source:The Punch
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