Tenure of American security forces not yet decided, says envoy

IT is not yet decided how long the United States (U.S.) special security forces being drafted to help secure the release of the abducted Chibok schoolgirls would stay in Nigeria, Ambassador James Entwhistle has said.
This came as the Country Administrator of the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), Rajiv Shah, last night met with some northern governors, where security cooperation, strengthening of the fight against poverty, hunger, as well as the creation of opportunities for growth in northern Nigeria were central. 
   Thursday’s meeting, which held in River Jordan Street, Maitama, Abuja, started at about 8.35p.m, and was a follow-up to the earlier visit to the U.S. by some northern governors.
   At yesterday’s meeting were the governors of Niger, Kogi, Adamawa, and Nasarawa states, acting governor of Taraba State, deputy governors of Kano and Benue states, as well as the Secretary to the Government of Zamfara State.

   After the first round of discussions, Entwhistle, who was part of the opening round of talks, said the U.S. remained committed to helping Nigeria build its capacity to fight terrorism and insurgency, even though the “question of safety and security in Nigeria is in the hands of the Government of Nigeria.”
   And as the search for the abducted girls took international dimension, Governor Rauf Aregbesola of Osun State has called on the Federal Government for an affirmative action against neighbouring countries.
   Speaking in Osogbo yesterday when women, led by the First Lady, Mrs. Sherifat Aregbesola, and tertiary institution students, under the aegis of National Association of Osun State Students (NASS), staged a “Free Our Children” protest to his office, Aregbesola said the abduction was no longer a problem for Nigeria alone.
   Noting that Borno State shares border with Cameroun, Niger and Chad, he muted the possibility that the insurgents were receiving support from them. To that end, he urged President Goodluck Jonathan to seek a meeting of the African Union, which would mandate these countries to cooperate with Nigeria in flushing out insurgency in that axis.
   He added that Nigeria should declare war on whichever country that refuses to abide by such resolution and cooperate with it.
   Also, a former member of the Supreme Military Council during the Murtala/Obasanjo regime, AVM Mouktar Mohammed (rtd), has called on the Federal Government to immediately set up a war council to address the insecurity in the country.
   He suggested that the council, to comprise mainly retired military officers, should be the think tank for proactive solutions to the intractable insecurity in the country.
   In an exclusive interview with The Guardian in Abuja, Mohammed, who represents the North West zone in the ongoing National Conference, stressed the need for the war council to address the situation before it gets out of hand.
   He said the war council would bring out some of the old experts, who have been exposed and are battle-tested, with a lot of experience to offer the country, “ and they were all trained with Nigerian money and a lot of them are there doing nothing, but the knowledge is still there.
   “You don’t just take a young soldier who has not tested combat where there is shooting and killing, expose him to dead bodies and tell him to move and expect results, it’s not easy. But bring out the people who can give advice.”
On their part, the Bauchi State Peace Corps wants the Federal Government to deploy more military personnel in primary, secondary and tertiary institutions across the Northeast region to avert a recurrence of abductions.
   State Commandant of NPC, Mr. Patriot Maxwell, told newsmen yesterday in Bauchi that terrorists were now penetrating the institutions of learning, but that such situation could have been averted if military personnel were posted to schools.
   He further blamed the Chibok school authorities for refusing to relocate the students to neighbouring states for their WAEC examinations when other schools in Borno were relocating their students, adding that the corps in Bauchi has deployed 670 officers to secondary schools across the state to beef up security.
   Also, a group, the Concerned Civil Society Organizations (CSO), has chided Kogi State Police Command for stopping its peaceful protest against the abduction of Chibok school girls by Boko Haram
   In a statement jointly signed by the coalition of human rights activists in the state and made available to The Guardian in Lokoja yesterday, the group described the police action as unacceptable and worrisome, even when similar protests were allowed in other states.
“As CSOs and parents, we share in the pains and anguish of the parents and guardians of the kidnapped girls. We are calling on Nigerian security agents to live up to their bidding by rescuing our daughters and sisters without further delay,” it said.
   However, in Yenagoa, Bayelsa State, a group of Batch A female members of the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) yesterday staged a peaceful protest against the hostage of the schoolgirls, calling for a stop to the politicization of the rescue operation and the release of the girls.
   Bearing placards with different demands, the protesters marched to the entrance of the Azaiki Public Library, where the 75th birthday celebration of a former minister, Alabo Tonye Graham-Douglas, was being held.
   While some corps members commended President Jonathan for the mature handling of the security operations against the insurgency in the north, others asked politicians to support the renewed security effort at locating the abducted girls and stop using it as another means of politics.
   Also, the Civil Liberties Organization (CLO) has commended President Barrack Obama and other international leaders for offering to assist the Federal Government against insurgencies and aid rescue operations of the abducted schoolgirls.
   In a statement by its Bayelsa State Chairman, Chief Nengi James, the CLO described the offer by the U.S., United Kingdom and others as commendable and President Jonathan’s acceptance of same as unprecedented.
   According to the CLO, while such offer is a necessary step to rescuing the abducted schoolgirls and saving the nation further mourning from bomb attacks by the Boko Haram sect, it should also prepare the grounds for the arrest and prosecution of identified leaders and sponsors of the sect.
   It also urged President Jonathan to take a bold step and identify security loopholes and moles in the nation’s security services, including a complete overhaul of strategies and missions to stem the barbaric acts of insurgency. It warned that failure to back up the offer of security assistance might be counter-productive.
   And leaving nothing to chance, lawmakers under the aegis of Christian Legislators Fellowship International (CLFI) yesterday in Abuja prayed God for wisdom and divine guidance on President Jonathan and members of his cabinet to enable them tackle the security challenges confronting the nation.
   According to a statement by its president, Senator Uche Chukwumerije, senators also prayed God for the right steps to be taken towards rescuing the abducted schoolgirls. This was coming in the wake of Federal Government’s acceptance of foreign assistance towards their rescue.
   The lawmakers, however, prayed that rather than escalate the situation, the foreign supports would help end the insurgencies in the country. Noting that the activities of Boko Haram have created fears in the hearts of Nigerians, the group urged everyone to fast and pray for a speedy resolution of all security challenges.
   They commended the efforts of government, including the security agencies, so far at rescuing the girls from the terrorists and expressed hope that the involvement of the U.S., Britain, China and Canada in the search for the missing girls would yield positive results.
   Similarly, over 300 women from Christian and Muslim communities held a peaceful protest in solidarity with the Chibok schoolgirls in Plateau State yesterday, seeking God’s intervention in their abduction.
   The women expressed anguish over their kidnap and urged the Federal Government and security chiefs to expedite action and re-strategise towards their release.
Some of their placards urged the Nigeria to engage Chad, Niger and Cameroun in the fight, while urging politicians to stop mortgaging their children.
   Leader of the Women Without Walls Initiative (WOWWL), Pastor Esther Ibanga, leader of Muslim Women Peace Forum (MWPF), Hajiya Khadijah Hawaja, and leader of Christian Women for Excellence and Empowerment in Nigerian Society, Mrs. Elizabeth Rimdans, described sexual violence on minors as a heinous crime against the corporate existence of the nation.
   The Arewa elders have applauded the international community for joining the Nigerian Government in efforts to rescue the schoolgirls abducted by the Islamic terrorist group, Boko Haram. They also described as belated government’s committee to verify the number of abducted girls and there whereabouts.
   In a statement yesterday by the Arewa Consultative Forum’s (ACF) National Publicity Secretary, Alhaji Muhammad Ibrahim, the body, nevertheless, said it was good that government was finally making efforts to rescue the girls.
   According to the U.S. envoy, “we are in the process of putting together a security team that we think you need to solve the problem at hand.” Fielding questions on the security collaboration, he said that arrangement was on for U.S. security personnel’s arrival in Nigeria.
   “Secretary of State, John Kerry, also spoke with your President on this, as you know. Our system is designed to help get these girls back. We already have security cooperation for years now, in terms of training and boosting your response capacity. The tenure of the incoming military support would be decided when they come. It is something that is yet to be worked hard.”
   But there were related matters to terrorism. According to USAID boss, Shah, the U.S. is “proud to have signed programmes in the health, agriculture as well as educational sectors,” with a view to raising the living standards of the people.
   He said the Obama administration was currently increasing the U.S. support in five states of the north, especially in agricultural development - to help reduce hunger, ensure adequate nutrition, and create opportunities to take the place of insecurity.