Falana Rejects Membership Of FG Fact Finding Committee On Abducted Chibok Girls

Posted by African Examiner Featured, Latest Headlines, News Sunday, May 4th, 2014

Oyewale Oyelola

Lagos Lawyer and human right activist Femi Falana (SAN) on Sunday rejected membership of Presidential Fact Finding Committee on the abducted chibok school girls in Borno state, North-East Nigeria.

Mr Femi Falana

Federal government in its effort to rescue over 200 girls of the Government Girls Secondary School, Chibok, Borno State kidnapped by Boko Haram appointed Retired General Ibrahim A. Sabo as the Chairman of the fact finding committee.

According to the list of committee members released by the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Chief Anyim Pius Anyim, on Friday the Permanent Secretary (Special Services Office) OSGF will serve as secretary to the committee.

The composition of the committee include: Barrister Femi Falana (SAN), who has declined to serve in the committee, Hajia Hawa Ibrahim, Hajia Fatima Kwaku, 2 representatives of National Council of Women Societies (NCWS), 2 representatives of the All Nigeria Conference of Principals of Secondary Schools (one whom shall be a female), 2 representatives of the National Parents Teachers Association, 2 representatives of the Nigeria Police, 2 representatives of the State Security Service and 2 representatives of the Nigerian Army.

Others are 1 representative of the Federal Ministry of Information (who shall be the Committees’ Spokesperson), 1 representative of the Federal Ministry of Justice, 3representatives of Borno State Government (2 of whom, preferably, shall be women),2 representatives of the Nigeria Union of Journalists, one representative of the United Nations, one representative of ECOWAS (who shall be a woman).

The terms of reference of the committee according to Anyim include:

To liaise with the Borno State Government and establish the circumstances leading to the School remaining open for boarding students when other schools were closed
To liaise with relevant authorities and the parents of the missing girls to establish the actual number and identities of the girls abducted

To interface with the Security Services and Borno State Government to ascertain how many of the missing girls have returned
To mobilise the surrounding communities and the general public on citizen support for a rescue strategy and operation

To articulate a framework for a multi-stakeholder action for the rescue of the missing girls and
To advise Government on any matter incidental to the terms of reference.

Falana said his rejection to serve in the committee was based on the fact that committee of concerned Nigerians and parents of the kidnapped girls have engaged him as their lawyer in the matter pending before the court.