THE return of 21 of the over 200 girls kidnapped by Boko Haram from the Girls Secondary School, Chibok, Borno State, is like a ray of sunshine after a heavy storm. It is a triumph of hope over despair, optimism over hopelessness, and good over evil. A country which has not had much cause for cheer in recent months suddenly has a reason to smile. The happy development presents a vista of hope for the return of the other abducted girls.
We congratulate the 21 girls and their families on their safe return. We thank the ‘#BringBackOurGirls’ organisation for its unrelenting commitment to ensuring that the girls are not forgotten. The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) and the Swiss Government deserve kudos for standing in as guarantor and facilitator of the deal that led to their freedom. We also appreciate the intermediaries and all those who played one role or the other in the release of the girls.
We commend the Federal Government for securing the release of the girls after what looked like a lifetime. The difficulty of this assignment cannot be overlooked. The pressure on the government had understandably been intense. But, barring the occasional ill-tempered reaction to the BBOG, the government exhibited an immense sense of responsibility, forthrightness and even candour on this matter.
President Muhammadu Buhari once confessed that the government did not know exactly where the girls were. Proponents of the omniscience and omnipotence of governments were then disappointed, but his honesty on the matter is worthy of appreciation.
It is good that the government has now adopted the girls. We expect that they will be adequately looked after in terms of their health, education and general welfare.
The Buhari administration can count on the support of all Nigerians in its negotiation for the release of the remaining girls. Having now established a level of trust with the abductors, and both sides having done their part at this ‘confidence-building’ stage, we wish the government full speed in its efforts to secure the release of the remaining girls.
This is not to say that the next stage of the negotiations is going to be easy. Nigeria must not make the mistake of thinking that Boko Haram has suddenly turned a new leaf and decided, of its own volition, to release the girls. The government must know that a group like Boko Haram oftentimes agrees to negotiate because it is gravely in need of something.
It behooves the Federal Government, therefore, to continue to negotiate in good faith while at the same time not relenting on those efforts which originally brought Boko Haram to the negotiating table. Sporadic bloody Boko Haram attacks such as occurred last week during which 13 soldiers were reported missing are always a reminder that the war is not yet won.
If, as the Army spokesman has said, the attacks originated from outside Nigeria, it means that there are gaps that must be filled within the African Multinational Joint Task Force. Multinational forces need steady nurturing at the highest possible command levels for them to be effective. The continued bombing of the Sambisa Forest reminds Nigerians that a lot still needs to be done to secure the country from Boko Haram. The security of Sambisa can never be assured until ground forces have combed and swept that forest.
Anyone who has seen the footage of the intricate tunnels system utilised by the Islamic State in Syria and Iraq (ISIS) will realise that terrorists can never be defeated or removed by aerial bombardment alone. We urge the military and the negotiators to double their efforts and give the assignment one last heave to complete it.