Zenith

  • Latest News

    Wednesday, May 14, 2014

    Kidnapped Girls Identified On Video ...Not All Girls In Video Were Taken In April 14 Raid, Some Relatives Say

    The local governor says they're all from the Chibok boarding school raided by Boko Haram militants April 14. But some relatives say they don't see their daughters in the video, and believe some of the girls were taken in earlier abductions.
    A spokesman for the Borno governor said parents, students and teachers have now identified 77 of the girls shown in the video, released Monday by Agence France-Presse, a French news agency.
    Some parents and some of the Chibok girls that escaped captivity on Tuesday viewed the video released by the Boko Haram and identified 54 of the girls in the clips.
    The Borno State Government subsequently issued a statement to officially confirm the identity of the victims and also publish the names of those identified from the Boko Haram video.

    Source reports that those that partook in the preview and identification of the teenagers in the video included some parents of the abducted girls and four escapees who were among the dozens that escaped after being kidnapped by the Boko Haram from the Government Secondary School, Chibok, Borno State on April 14.
    The video was previewed in the office of the Chief of Staff, Government House, Abubakar Kari.
    The Chairman of Chibok Local Government Area, Maina Lawan, who was among those that reviewed the video, behaved rashly towards journalists who accosted him while stepping out of the governor’s office after the preview.

    He almost shattered the camera of some journalists for trying to take shots of the crew he brought from his local government for the verification exercise.
    The identification of 54 of the girls throws more controversy on the identity of the remaining 83 of the 136 girls shown in the video; as well as the whereabouts of the remainder of the over 200 Chibok school girls believed to still be with the Boko Haram.
    In the video, Mr. Shekau had claimed majority of the girls converted to Islam. The 136 girls shown were dressed in the Islamic hijab and reciting Quranic verses.
    Mr. Shekau said he would not release the girls unless Boko Haram members in federal government jail were released. The government is yet to make a concrete and definite statement on the offer, but said it is reviewing all options.

    Mr. Shekau did not give any reason why all the girls were not shown; while there have also been reports that some of the girls shown were not kidnapped from Chibok but were among those kidnapped from other Borno villages.
    The Borno government, however, said the identification process has not been concluded.
    A statement issued by Governor Kashim Shettima’s Adviser on Media, Isa Gusau, said the identification of the girls is still ongoing even as he listed the names of those identified.
    “Borno State Governor, Kashim Shettima has confirmed that young girls shown in a video released by the Boko Haram sect, are part of schoolgirls abducted at Government Secondary School Chibok following a night attack on April 14,2014”, said Mr. Gusau.

    “Fifty four of the girls of the video have been identified by their names at an exercise that involved some parents of the girls, fellow students that include escapees from abduction, some teachers, security men and some officials of the Borno State Government led by the Chief of Staff to the Government House, Abubakar Kyari. The parents and students were conveyed to the Government House in Maiduguri to make for an open identification exercise.
    “The names are currently being compared with school records as well as names published some days back to ensure accuracy. The exercise continues at the Government House and it is hoped that more names will be established by parents, students and teachers as well as management of the affected school”.
    Below are the names of the girls identified by their parents and fellow students:
    1. Agnes Gafane
    2. Saraya Stober
    3. Hauwa Bitrus
    4. Hajara Isa
    5. Na’omi Philimun
    6. Hauwa Abdu (1st Speaking)
    7. Magret Yama
    8. Shitta Abdu
    9. Jummai Muta
    10. Ladi Paul
    11. Roda Peter
    12. Filo Dauda
    13. Godiya Bitrus
    14. Saratu Tauji (2nd Speaking)
    15. Ross Daniel
    16. Hauwa Ali
    17. Hajara Isa (Amira 3rd Speaking)
    18. Luba Afga
    19. Na’omi Luka
    20. Saraya Emos Ali
    21. Bilkisu Abdullahi
    22. Mairama Ali
    23. Maryam Ali Maiyanga
    24. Dabora Abbas
    25. Kabu Mala
    26. Halima Ali
    27. Yana Bukar
    28. Solomi Pugu
    29. Lydia Emmar
    30. Luba Sanda
    31. Saraya Samuel
    32. Comfort Habila
    33. Rejoice Shanki
    34. Gloria Yaga
    35. Mary Nkeki
    36. Moda Baba
    37. Hauwa Isuwa
    38. Patient Jacob
    39. Ladi Jajel
    40. Abigel Bukar
    41. Fanta Lawan
    42. Zainabu Yaga
    43. Aisha Lawan Zanna
    44. Dokas Yakubu
    45. Kabu Mala
    46. Maryama Bashir
    47. Hauwa M. Maina
    48. Mary G. Dauda
    49. Susana Yakubu
    50. Maryam Abbas
    51. Laraba John
    52. Hanatu Nuhu
    53. Na’ omi Bukar
    54. Rifkatu Galang

    Military Response To Allegations
    Amnesty International said last week that Nigerian military commanders failed to act on advance warnings about the terror group's raid on the school.
    On Tuesday, Maj. Gen. Chris Olukolade, a spokesman for the Nigerian military, said authorities often are warned of likely attacks on towns and villages.
    "In a day, you can have up to 1,000 of such claims. More than three quarters of it turns out to be frivolous," he said, stressing that no warning has ever been ignored.
    "In the case of Chibok, the first one that was taken to be credible was one that came for our troops on patrol who (were) noticing what was going on and observing that it was getting much beyond their level (and) sent for reinforcement," the spokesman said.
    Olukolade also addressed why some people in Chibok, feeling abandoned by the government, have taken security into their own hands and started night patrols.
    "One element in this operation has been to cooperate with the locals," said Olukolade, defending the military against those who say it's not doing enough.

    International Assistance

    U.S. and British officials are working with the Nigerian government to gather intelligence and decide what to do next.
    The United States is flying manned military surveillance flights over Nigeria in the hunt for the girls and their captors, Pentagon spokesman Col. Steve Warren told reporters Tuesday.
    It is also sharing commercial satellite images with Nigeria, two senior Obama administration officials told CNN's Elise Labott.
    China and France are helping in the search as well. Israel plans to send a team of counterterrorism experts to help, Nigerian President Goodluck Jonathan's office said this week.
    • Blogger Comments
    • Facebook Comments

    0 comments:

    Item Reviewed: Kidnapped Girls Identified On Video ...Not All Girls In Video Were Taken In April 14 Raid, Some Relatives Say Rating: 5 Reviewed By: BrandIconImage
    Scroll to Top