FG REJECTS BOKO HARAMS PRISON SWAP OFFER

The Presidency has ruled out the possibility of a swap deal in order to bring the abducted girls back.

On the 14th of April over 200 school girls were abducted, in a video released by the insurgent group, Boko Haram, 77 of the girls have been identified.

In this same video, Boko Harams leader, said that the sect were ready to exchange the girls for members of the sect who had been arrested by security forces.

Responding to this development in a PUNCH interview, Reuben Abati, the presidents spokesman said that in asymmetrical warfare, dialogue could also be difficult because the enemies were usually faceless.

“While the Chibok issue has brought up the matter of whether the government is going to hold dialogue or whether the government is going to buy back the girls, I don’t see government planning to engage in any action that amounts to trade by barter, or treatment of the girls as items of merchandise, or anything that remotely over-privileges crime against humanity.

“In this kind of asymmetrical warfare, even dialogue can be difficult because the enemy is faceless.

“Nonetheless, what government has said is that it has always adopted all options in dealing with the security challenge and there are already ongoing processes and standing committees. Government has said clearly, however that any Boko Haram member who is ready to lay down his arms and repent, the door is open to such members.

“The key word that government has ever used is dialogue and that is dialogue with stakeholders and possibly repentant insurgents.

“In this regard, it is worth recalling that there are existing committees that have been saddled with the responsibility of operationalising what the National Security Adviser once described as the soft approach in the country’s counter-terrorism strategy.

“This soft approach includes dialogue particularly with repentant Boko Haram extremists. There are at least two distinct platforms.

“First, we have the presidential committee on dialogue that is saddled with the responsibility of looking into the matter of extremism in the North-East.

“That standing committee has since submitted a report and the report has led to a number of actions by the President, including the Presidential Initiative in the North-East known as PINE, an economic recovery programme.

“You will also recall that at a point, the President released some detainees, including women, children and young persons belonging to Boko Haram who were in detention.

“That was also a product of that soft approach. So when government says all options are open in dealing with this issue, government is talking about that soft approach in addition to other measures.

“Recently also, the President set up the presidential fact-finding committee on the Chibok abduction. Part of the mandate of that committee is to visit Chibok, relate with the parents of the girls, relate with stakeholders and try to see how assistance can be given to the girls who have been released and also their families and what useful information can be collated.

“All of this involves dialogue,   looking at many options. I don’t think government will come up again and set up a special negotiating committee. There is a soft approach that is already in place and it is going on simultaneously with the military operation.

“It is also important to note that the Presidency  is not relying solely on a whole of government approach. Government is combining whatever it does with a whole of society approach. So there is that soft approach which includes dialogue, talking to stakeholders.”