FG Allegedly Paid €2m for Release of 82 Chibok Girls – Report

A report by BBC on the recent release of 82 Chibok girls and by Boko Haram Terrorists has disclosed that the federal government allegedly paid €2m together with the release of five Boko Haram bomb-makers.

The report stated that the account of the source who made the revelation could not be verified as at the time of publishing

According to the source, “It should have happened sooner, but the president was hesitating about freeing the five – and especially about the money.”

The source adds that persuading President Buhari was “very, very difficult. It was the most difficult part of the whole negotiation. He didn’t want to pay any money.”

“The ransom was two million euros. Boko Haram asked for euros. They chose the suspects and they gave us the list of girls who would be freed,” the source said.

The report stated that the negotiation was facilitated by Senator Shehu Sani  (APC – Kaduna Central), who, together with a human rights lawyer Zanna Mustapha established a link of communication with the terrorists.

Mustapha, who had grown up with some senior members of Boko Haram in Maiduguri, did not join the group.

He had also represented some of them at trial and retained close contact with the leadership.

Zanna Mustapha agreed to join the negotiations, and was to become the key middleman in the release of the first 21 Chibok girls in October 2016, and then the second group of 82. He was the man on the spot when the girls were handed over, BBC reported.

The European Union was said that have refused to act as mediator during negotiation, but The Swiss government offered to step in.

The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) was also involved in the exchange, but only in the logistics aspects – helping to transfer the girls to safety.