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+---- Thread: Buhari paid Boko Haram €3m for release of Chibok girls — Report (/showthread.php?tid=1988)
Buhari paid Boko Haram €3m for release of Chibok girls — Report - Edoman - 12-24-2017
The Federal Government paid € 3 m 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 € 1 m was paid for the 21 first freed , additional € 2 m accompanied the five Boko Haram commanders that were exchanged with the next batch: the 82 girls .
TheCable had earlier reported how the € 2 m 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 € 1 m .
“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 € 3 m , 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. http://punchng.com/buhari-paid-boko-haram-e3m-for-release-of-chibok-girls-report/