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The politics behind the release of the Chibok girls being perpetrated by the government and the Nigerian army should stop with immediate effect. If there is anything Nigerians and the families of the remaining girls in the hands of their captors deserves, is nothing but sincerity on the path of the government. One of the girls by the name of Rakiya Gali Abubarkar was freed by the Nigerian army yesterday; bringing the total number of the girls that has been freed so far by this administration to twenty-four, while the rest are yet to regain their freedom.
Acting Director of Defence information, Defence Headquarters Brigadier General Abubarkar yesterday gave the position of the military that the whereabouts of the remaining Chibok girls abducted by Boko Haram members will not be revealed. I think it is a slap on the Nigerian government and the military to know the whereabouts of the girls, and not figure out how to set them free. Statements like this should not be coming out from the echelons of the Nigerian military, reputed to be one of the best in the continent.
It will be recalled that the politicization around the issue of the Chibok girls is one of the reason the girls were yet to be rescued. In 2014 when over 200 of these girls were abducted, it took over two weeks before the administration of Goodluck Jonathan to set up a committee to verify the authentication of the news. But it appears the same politics still persists even under this administration of Muhammadu Buhari, who promised to bring back the girls safe and sound. Although, no one can dispute the fact that Buhari’s administration has recorded tremendous success in the fight against Boko Haram, the rescue of the remaining girls would be a plus to this administration.
Nigerians are not asking the military to reveal the tactics and strategies to free the remaining girls, but releasing them one after the other to silence agitations from the public and the Bring Back Our Girls Campaign group who has vowed to commence daily protest from January 8 to put pressure on the government to free the remaining 195 girls, is not the way to go. Enough of politics, if the military knows the whereabouts of the remaining girls, let them swing into action. Be that as it may, the efforts of the military so far are commendable and their resilience towards ensuring there is peace and stability in the country should not go unappreciated.