The Bring Back Our Girls has urged President Muhammadu Buhari to show strength in its course to rescue the 217 Chibok girls currently held as a bargaining chip by the Boko Haram insurgents. The Bring Back Our Girls, BBOG movement led by Oby Ezekwesili and Aisha Yesufu has accused the President Muhammadu Buhari yesterday of appropriating too much powers to the Boko Haram sect in his bid to secure the freedom of the abduct 217 Chibok girls.
The group which organised a silent protest yesterday urged Buhari to determine the rescue options instead of allowing the sect to making decisions. Their statement is a reaction to the claims of Buhari at the sixth Tokyo International Conference on African Development (TICAD VI) recently held in Nairobi, Kenya where he suggested that the sect should engage an international Non-Governmental Organization in the intermediation process if they so wish.
However, the BBOG said it was at a loss as to why terrorists have to determine the process for rescue. It lamented the current situation whereby it appears the President now heavily relies on media reports to gather intelligence about the terrorists.
In the address, jointly signed by its leaders, Oby Ezekwesili and Aisha Yesufu, BBOG said;
“We fail to understand why our Federal Government is giving so much powers to determine process and first mover actions to the terrorists. We have always maintained that the President has the powers to assemble all relevant intelligence assets required for determining the best action in terms of lowest risk option.
"Many countries with superior capabilities have indicated willingness to help our Government gather security and intelligence assets on this and other related North East challenges. We were therefore extremely shocked to read Mr. President state, that ‘some of the information about the division in Boko Haram is already in the press and I have read it in the papers about the conflict in their leadership’.
"Are we right to conclude from that statement that our President merely relies on newspaper reports like the rest of the Nigerian public for information on such an important and monumental tragedy? This is a grave basis for concern to our movement. “So, while we welcome the statement, we counter that it sounds too tentative and lacking of the conviction, decisiveness, strong ownership, and urgent actions required to #BringBackOurGirls. This tragedy must no longer be allowed to linger any further! It is time to act with the fiercest urgency and the authority that must lead this action is our President, Commander – in-Chief – of-the-Armed-Forces”.
"Are we right to conclude from that statement that our President merely relies on newspaper reports like the rest of the Nigerian public for information on such an important and monumental tragedy? This is a grave basis for concern to our movement. “So, while we welcome the statement, we counter that it sounds too tentative and lacking of the conviction, decisiveness, strong ownership, and urgent actions required to #BringBackOurGirls. This tragedy must no longer be allowed to linger any further! It is time to act with the fiercest urgency and the authority that must lead this action is our President, Commander – in-Chief – of-the-Armed-Forces”.
According to the Vanguard, the group reiterated that there is no evidence of persuasive, deliberate and result- targeted action has been conveyed by the President since his emergence 15 months ago.
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