Chibok Girls: Negotiation Still Ongoing with Boko Haram – FG

The Federal Government on Tuesday said negotiations were still ongoing between it and the Boko Haram sect on the abducted Chibok schoolgirls.

Mohammed Adoke, the Attorney-General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, disclosed this to State House correspondents after a meeting of the National Security Council in Abuja.

The meeting, which held behind closed doors at the Presidential Villa, was presided over by President Goodluck Jonathan.

Also in attendance were service chiefs, the Acting Inspector General of Police (IGP), Suleiman Abba, National Security Adviser, Sambo Dasuki, the Minister of Defence, Aliyu Gusau, the Director-General, State Security Service, Mr Ita Ekpeyong, among others.

Adoke said that the service chiefs briefed the Council on the negotiations with the sect, aimed at securing the girls’ release, as well as reviving the ceasefire agreement between both parties.

The Chief of Defence Staff, Air Chief Marshal Alex Badeh, declined to speak to correspondents after the meeting, which lasted for about two hours.

Meanwhile, the acting I-G, Abba, said one of the policemen that went missing after Boko Haram terrorists’ attacked the Police Training School in Gwoza, Borno, a few weeks ago, had returned to his base.

He told State House correspondents after the meeting that the latest number of missing officers in the attack stood at “about 30”.

He said “last week, we were able to discover that one of the missing officers in Gwoza, Borno, had gone back to his base.

“So, there can still be some that are in their homes, perhaps refusing to report that they are around because of the trauma they went through.

“Also, some could still be among the families in some of the villages around there. It is still our hope that they are alive and that they will come out alive.’’