Jonathan Denies Cameron’s Claim on Chibok Girls’ Rescue

Pat Stevens/

Former President Goodluck Jonathan today said the claim of a former British Prime Minister, David Cameron, that he refused international help with the rescue of the kidnapped Chibok girls was not true.

In his new book, ‘For the Record’, Cameron had accused Jonathan’s government of rejecting the help of the British Government in rescuing the Chibok schoolgirls, who were kidnapped on April 14, 2014.

The former president however said it was disappointing that Cameron could make such false claims against him.

He stated that as the then President of Nigeria, he not only wrote letters to Cameron, but also wrote to the then United States President, Mr. Barrack Obama, and the then French President, Mr. François Hollande, as well as the Israeli Prime Minister, Mr.Benjamin Netanyahu, appealing to them for help in rescuing the Chibok girls.

He stated: “How could I write to appeal for help and then reject the very thing I appealed for?

“Also, history contradicts Mr Cameron. On March 8, 2012, when the same Boko Haram-linked terrorists abducted a British expatriate named Chris McManus, along with an Italian hostage Franco Lamolinara, in Sokoto, I, as Nigerian President, personally authorised rescue effort by members of the British Military Special Boat Service supported by officers and men of the Nigerian Army, to free the abducted men.”

He further said: “So having set a precedent like that, why would I reject British help in rescuing the Chibok Girls, if it was offered?

“I also authorised the secret deployment of troops from the United Kingdom, the United States and Israel as a result of the Chibok incident, so how Mr. Cameron could say this with a straight face beats me.

“Moreover, on March 8, 2017, the British Government of former Prime Minister, Theresa May, in a widely circulated press statement, debunked this allegation and said there was no truth in it after Mr. Cameron had made similar statements to the Observer of the United Kingdom.”

Meanwhile, members of the #BringBackOurGirls movement as well as parents of 112 Chibok schoolgirls in Boko Haram captivity have lamented the failure of the Federal Government to effect the release of the girls over five years after their abduction.

Boko Haram insurgents had stormed the Government Girls Secondary School, Chibok, Borno State, on April 14, 2014, and forcefully abducted over 200 girls, but 57 of the girls escaped and found their way back home.

The government subsequently negotiated with the abductors and freed 107 girls leaving 112 others in captivity for the past 2,000 days.

To mark the anniversary, the BBOG paraded over 112 pairs of school sandals tagged with the names of the missing schoolgirls, Leah Sharibu and two aid workers, Alice Ngaddah and Grace Taku at the Unity Fountain, Abuja, today.

Speaking on behalf of other Chibok parents during a sit-out, Mr Kabu Yakubu, whose daughter, Dorcas, was among the kidnapped girls, expressed disappointment and sadness over the inability of the government to secure the release of the pupils.

Yakubu explained that his daughter’s absence had taken a toll on the health of his spouse, who he said was suffering from heart-related ailments.

He expressed optimism that the girls would return, describing Dorcas as the pillar of his home.

Yakubu said: “Many Chibok parents have died on account of the delay in rescuing their daughters. My wife has been having heart problems, I have been taking her to the hospital every week and now, there is no money. So, that is the problem we are facing.”

“We are not happy, the government of Nigeria promised to rescue our girls, but up till now, this has not been done. Some Chibok parents have lost their lives, some are sick and in hospital. We won’t say the government lied to us, but they should put more efforts to rescue our girls.”

The BBOG in a statement said the government had failed in its constitutional responsibility, adding that the FG appeared to be at ease amidst the troubles in the land, adding that it was “only concerned about protecting a fake reputation that offers its citizens no value.”

BBOG Coordinator, Florence Ozor, who read the statement, cited the Wednesday abduction of six students and two teachers of Engravers College in Kaduna as a pattern of failure of the government to secure lives of citizens.

“To highlight this, we note with heartbreaking dismay, the incapacity, apathy and failed leadership displayed by the President and the Federal Government in the wake of the abduction of six students and two staff members of Engravers College in Kaduna on October 3, 2019.

“This continues a distressing pattern of failure to secure, preserve and dignify the lives of citizens,” the coalition said.

A former Chairman, National Human Rights Commission, Dr. Chidi Odinkalu, knocked the government for not doing enough to protect Nigerian citizens, noting that abductions had been normalized with officials now holding talks with criminals.

He condemned the detention and ongoing trial of #RevolutionNow convener, Omoyele Sowore, saying there was nowhere in the world that calls for revolution was criminalized.

The activist also criticized Cross River State Governor, Prof. Ben Ayade for reportedly instigating the detention and prosecution of a journalist, Agba Jalingo, over a Facebook post flaying the governor for allegedly engaging in anticipatory approval and graft.

A former Education Minister, Dr. Oby Ezekwesili, called on the government to give closure to the Chibok parents by ensuring the return of the abducted schoolgirls, noting that the BBOG would not stop campaigning for their release.

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