The Federal Government paid €3m for the release of some Chibok
schoolgirls who were in Boko Haram custody, according to Wall Street
Journal.
In 2014, Boko Haram insurgents had kidnapped 276 girls from Government Girls Secondary School, Chibok in Borno state.
Of
the 276, 163 are now free: 57 fled in the early days after their
abduction, three escaped later, and a Swiss-coached mediation secured
103.
Twenty-one of the 103 were freed on October 13, 2016, while the remaining 82 were freed on May 6 this year.
In
a detailed report on the incident, WSJ said while €1m was paid for the
21 first freed, additional €2m accompanied the five Boko Haram
commanders that were exchanged with the next batch: the 82 girls.
TheCable had earlier reported how the €2m were reportedly paid.
Ahmad
Salkida, a journalist known to have links with the sect, and Zannah
Mustapha, a lawyer, were said to be key mediators involved in both
deals.
After months of talks involving Salkida and Mustapha, a
breakthrough was finally reached when in late 2016, both parties agreed
on a plan concerning the girls’ freedom.
WSJ said: “The plan called for two exchanges. In the first one, Boko Haram would free 20 Chibok hostages in exchange for €1m.
“If both sides were satisfied with the outcome, the rest of the girls
who wanted to come home would be swapped in a second exchange in return
for €2 and five imprisoned Boko Haram commanders.”“As Mustapha
worked through the details and tried to maintain the confidence of both
sides, the Nigerian government began the delicate process of finding
prisoners Shekau would deem acceptable.
“Salkida was the man picked for the task. He began to crisscross Nigeria
combing jails and interviewing inmates, looking for militants who fit
the profile.”
The report added that while the deal began coming together, there
were fears that President Muhammdu Buhari might not approve of it.
“The President was eager for a victory. He also loathed the idea of
paying Boko Haram. No one knew if he would sign off,” it said.
“In
the end, he approved the deal, with a condition: He insisted that any
money that reached Boko Haram would be a step toward a comprehensive
peace agreement.
“Since the insurgents collected their €3m, some
Nigerian officials say an army that had struggled to feed itself seems
replenished,” it stated
TheCable stated that it was not able to independently verify the claims concerning the payment.
When contacted, Femi Adesina, Buhari’s spokesman, neither confirmed nor denied the claims.
“Ask them to show the evidence,” Adesina told TheCable via a text message.