Nigeria Will Not Negotiate With Boko Haram -Mark

Posted by African Examiner Featured, Latest Headlines, News Wednesday, May 14th, 2014

Mona Ogbeidi

Nigerian Senate President, David Mark has said that the Federal Government will not negotiate with the Boko Haram Insurgents for the release of the 276 abducted school girls in Chibok, Borno state but will do all that is expedient to free the abducted girls.

Senate President David Mark

In a video footage that went viral on the internet, the Leader of Boko Haram Sect, Abubakar Shekau had boasted that that he would not free the girls if the government fails to release their members who are in detention.

Reacting to the video, Senator Mark pointed out that the Federal Government would not negotiate with terrorists, adding that negotiating with terrorists as proposed by Shekau over the abducted girls, may not serve any good purpose but to further give the insurgents room to wreck more havoc on both the country and the citizens without even them fulfilling any terms of agreement that may have entered into with them with no platform of trust whatsoever.

“We are doing everything possible to bring the girls back safe and sound to their parents without any negotiation with Boko Haram as every efforts which cannot be disclosed in the public is being made to rescue the girls.” He assured

While lamenting the abduction of the girls like other Nigerians, Mark disclosed that at the beginning of the insurgency in 2010 or thereabout, government never knew that they had International networking with other terror groups of the same mission, which made government position then to be largely centered on dialogue, since the insurgents were largely believed to be Nigerians then.

He further stated that with the situation of things now, government has no other option than to militarily wipe out the insurgents from the country’s territory through an ongoing collaborations being made with other countries that had faced or facing similar challenges.

“We didn’t realize on time that they have international connections but now that we do, we are already mobilizing all the resources and weapons at our disposals along with needed expertise and intelligence sharing from other countries to frontally tackle the insurgents”, he said

Senator Mark also stressed that, if the situation arises that he was prepared to join other army reserves in the war against terrorism. He also urged Nigerians to cooperate with both the government and the security agencies on the war against terrorism by giving out vital information at their disposal on the insurgents and their sponsors.

“The cooperation the Nation needs from Nigerians now is for every one having vital information on the insurgents and their sponsors in and outside the country, to make it available to government through its relevant security outfits in the general interest of all”,

“For the over 60,000 Chinese nationals’ resident in Nigeria across the 36 states of the federation and Abuja, the Nigerian government has put necessary machinery in place to guarantee their safety at all times and those of nationals of other countries.” He explained.