The Chief of Defence Staff, Lt-General Abayomi Olonishakin, has said only political authorities can decide on the demand by Boko Haram insurgents for exchange of the abducted Chibok girls with the sect’s detained members. Olonishakin stated this while addressing State House correspondents Monday after a workshop organised for chief executives of government agencies held at the Aso Rock Presidential Villa, Abuja. In his words, Olonishakin said,”That (swapping of Chibok girls with detained sect members) is a political decision to be taken. The military decision is that we are going ahead with our operations. The operation is being conducted appropriately.” Meanwhile the Information Minister Lai Mohammed also spoke on the sect’s request for swap, saying:
“Until you are able to ascertain the authenticity of those you are talking to, you don’t go into details. The government’s position is clear that we’re in touch with them. We’re just being careful and cautious to ensure that we’re talking to the right people especially with the news that there is a split in the leadership. But what is important is the safety and security of these girls. The thrust of my statement was to ensure the nation that we’re on top of the situation. We’re not even just reacting to the video, we’ve gone far beyond the video in talking to the group already. Most people will forget the issue of these girls as soon as the effect of this video is over, but the government is daily working on it. Until the release of this video, the effort was not attracting any attention. But everyday, the Office of the NSA and others concerned are working on it. For us, it’s not just because of the release of the video, but because of our belief that there’ll be no final closure to Boko Haram until we’re able to resolve the issue of these girls.”
