Chibok schoolgirls CRISIS:Jonathan okays US intervention

 — Nigeria ‘also in talks with British govt’

  –President inaugurates rescue panel

—  UN warns Boko Haram against selling girls

Abdullahi M.Gulloma
Samuel Aruwan

President Goodluck Jonathan yesterday accepted a definite offer by the United States of America to assist his government in efforts to rescue the girls abducted by Boko Haram from Government Girls Secondary School, Chibok, Borno state, about 27 days ago.
The president’s spokesman, Dr Reuben Abati, who disclosed this in a statement in Abuja, said the offer from President Barack Obama was conveyed to Jonathan by the U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry in a telephone conversation which began at 15.30 hours yesterday.
He said the offer includes the deployment of US security personnel and assets to work with their Nigerian counterparts in the search and rescue operation.

He said Kerry assured Jonathan that the US is wholly committed to giving Nigeria all required support and assistance to save the abducted girls and bring the reign of terror unleashed on parts of the country by the militant sect to an end.
He said the president thanked the secretary of state for the offer and told him that Nigeria’s security agencies, who were already working at full capacity to find and rescue the girls, would appreciate the deployment of American counter-insurgency know-how and expertise in support of their efforts.
Abati said the president also met with the chief of defence staff, service chiefs and heads of national security agencies in continuation of the efforts to find and rescue the girls.
“The president received updates on the ongoing search and rescue effort, and gave approval for recommended further actions,” he said.
U.S. State Department spokeswoman Jen Psaki said the American embassy in Nigeria is “prepared to form a coordination cell” that would include US military personnel and law enforcement officials with expertise in investigations and hostage negotiations.

Nigeria ‘also in talks with British govt’
It also emerged yesterday that Britain is also in talks with Nigerian security forces to help rescue the kidnapped schoolgirls.
According to a report in the UK’s Telegraph newspaper yesterday, London said it stood ready to give “practical assistance”.
Former Prime Minister Gordon Brown had called on Britain to help free the girls and even offer military assistance.
A spokeswoman for the British Foreign Office was quoted as saying: “If we can provide practical assistance we stand ready to do so. We are discussing how we might help with various parts of the Nigerian government and security services.”

Jonathan inaugurates rescue panel
The president also yesterday inaugurated a fact-finding committee headed by a former Director of Military Intelligence (DMI), Brigadier-General Ibrahim Sabo (rtd), to support  the search for the Chibok school girls. Speaking at the inauguration of the committee in his office in Abuja, Jonathan said the committee is neither a judicial nor an administrative committee to look into the affairs of the incident.
He said the setting up of a judicial or administrative committee was the responsibility of state governments, adding that the presidential committee was not a replacement for the search and rescue operations being undertaken by security agencies or covert intelligence-gathering.
He said the establishment of the panel was a necessary step which government must take to confront the sad circumstances surrounding the abduction of the students.

He said the panel would be primarily concerned with providing public interface with all directly concerned in the tragedy in order to provide a well-coordinated citizens inputs into the overall investigations.
“I am appreciative of the fact that this sad incident has attracted global outrage,” he said. “This is a clear testimony to the fact that humanity can come together and stand as one against evil no matter how it is presented.
“This is the time when we must dwell together beyond all political, religious or regional divide against our common enemy.
“We must remain vigilant and be ready to assist security agencies and authorities at all time. We must keep supporting the families who, for seeking education for their daughters, are undergoing untold pains at this moment.
“Let me assure the families and our dear daughters that in  conjunction with international community that government will do everything possible to get our girls back. We share your pain and suffering and are with you in prayers.
“We urge you to cooperate with the investigations in spite of your understandably difficult situation. We implore  you to remain strong.”

Responding, Gen. Sabo said his committee would do its job according to the expectations of the president, Nigerians and the world community.
Meanwhile, the committee held its maiden meeting yesterday and broke into clusters of workgroups to immediately gather and sift facts already in the public domain, its spokesperson, Mr. Kingsley Osadolor, said in a statement.
He said: “The committee took cognizance of the absence of the three representatives of Borno state government during the committee’s inauguration at State House, Abuja.
“The committee contacted the Secretary to the Borno State Government, Ambassador Baba Ahmed Jidda, who explained that he had been away, but promised to send the nominated representatives at the next plenary.”

UN warns Boko Haram against selling them
The United Nations yesterday reacted over a claim by Boko Haram leader Abubakar Shekau that he would sell the Chibok students.
The UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, Ms Navi Pillay, said in a statement issued by her spokesperson Mr.  Rupert Colville that the world body condemned the abduction and the threat to sell the female students, warning that doing so would be a crime against humanity with stiff penalty attached.
The UN said: “We are deeply concerned about the outrageous claims made in a video believed to be by the leader of Boko Haram in Nigeria yesterday, in which he brazenly says he will sell the abducted schoolgirls ‘in the market’ and ‘marry them off’, referring to them as ‘slaves’.

“We condemn the violent abduction of these girls, reportedly at gunpoint from their school in Chibok in Borno state in north-eastern Nigeria. We warn the perpetrators that there is an absolute prohibition against slavery and sexual slavery in international law. These can, under certain circumstances, constitute crimes against humanity.
“The girls must be immediately returned, unharmed, to their families.”
It added that the High Commissioner has contacted President Jonathan and urged the government to ensure that it spares no effort to ensure the safe return of the girls to their homes and communities.
The letter was signed by Pillay along with the Executive Director of UN Women, the Special Representative of the Secretary-General on Sexual Violence in Conflict and the Special Representative of the Secretary-General on Children and Armed Conflict.

The four African UN women leaders reminded the Nigerian government of its legal responsibility to ensure that girls and boys have the fundamental rights to education and to be protected from violence, persecution and intimidation.
It further reiterated the High Commissioner’s stand during a visit to Nigeria earlier this year, where it warned that the actions of Boko Haram have grown increasingly monstrous and that the group has targeted some people simply because of their religion or professional occupation – and in this case, simply because the girls were enrolled in school.

The UN warned the Nigerian government to be conscious of international law in fighting insurgency, saying, “We urge the authorities to take all necessary measures, consistent with human rights, to protect their people from these violations and crimes.
“It is particularly important that the local state authorities and the federal government cooperate fully. Failure to undertake effective measures that are within the authorities’ means to protect people is a violation of human rights.
“However, states assisting Nigeria in its counter-terrorism operations should also ensure that they stay within the limits of international law.”