At last, President Jonathan meets with parents of Chibok girls

IT is  100 days today since the April 14, 2014 abduction of more than 200 schoolgirls from Government Secondary School, Chibok, Borno State by Boko Haram insurgents. Most of the young captives are yet  to be freed.
   Meanwhile, President Goodluck Jonathan finally met with some of the students that escaped from the den of Boko Haram and representatives of the parents of the kidnapped girls in Abuja.
   He also assured that efforts were being intensified to rescue the girls safely and tackle insurgency to a conclusive end.
   In a related development,  women under the aegis of the Nigerian Women in Diaspora Leadership Forum, (NWDLF)  Tuesday held a rally to  mark 100 days of the abduction of the Chibok schoolgirls opposite the Nigerian High Commission in London.
  Midway into the rally which commenced at noon, Shadow Health Secretary, Dianne Abott MP (Member of Parliament), joined the handful of demonstrators, urging both  Nigerians and the international community not to forget that the girls are still in the hands of Boko Haram.
  While news of the abduction was received with consternation within Nigeria, it brought a rude shock to the international community who for the first time, accepted the risk the Boko Haram posed to humanity. Yet, they have since 2010 killed more than 12,000 citizens.
  Before the abduction, the Boko Haram unparalleled violence was seen only as a localised incident left to the control of Nigeria alone. But the abduction of the school girls galvanised the international community to coordinate a common strategy to combat the threat the insurgents have become. Suddenly, they came to the realisation that Boko Haram poses a threat not only to the health and safety of young women in Nigeria but also minority Christians in the Boko Haram enclave of Northern Nigeria who were mainly targets.  In addition to killing Christians, the dreaded sect  targets Muslim leaders who oppose its Salafist ideology.
  Specifically, Boko Haram leader, Abubakar Shekau had proclaimed to be waging a “war on Christians” in Nigeria and a “jihad” against the Nigerian government, America and the West. In August 2012, Shekau called President Goodluck Jonathan and U.S. President Barack Obama to “forsake Christianity” in order to be spared from future attacks.
    That the abduction attracted worldwide condemnation is an understatement. World political leaders, celebrities and activists expressed shock and outrage. It became fashionable to join the campaign for the release of the Chibok school girls under the banner of #Bring Back Our Girls’ campaign group.
  The international outrage forced world leaders to express readiness to assist Nigeria, if it so request. And President Jonathan, coming under accusations of inertia and anger, at home and abroad, requested for foreign assistance, something the Nigerian military and some political leaders had been reluctant to do. Their coming was a lease of fresh air to the slow response of the Nigerian military in rescuing the school girls.
  Nigeria specifically asked for intelligence and equipment to help trace the location of the Chibok girls. The request for assistance by the foreign militaries was sought because the Nigerian military is down in terms of equipment holdings in the area of sophisticated surveillance platforms.
  President Jonathan requested from the British the deployment of their Satellite Imaging capabilities and advanced tracking technologies to boost the outcome of the search. Several countries pledged to send military experts, spy planes and intelligence experts to assist the Nigerian military in the rescue.
  Among countries who pledged assistance were the United States,(U.S.) United Kingdom, France, Canada, China and Israel. The U.S. deployed an Interdisciplinary Team for Assistance working with their Nigerian counterparts in the areas of security, communications and intelligence. It also deployed 80 troops to Chad. The troops will support the operation of intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance aircraft for missions over Northern Nigeria and the surrounding area, using at least one drone. The UK also sent a Sentinel spy plane in addition to its team of experts.