A host of powerful countries comprising Britain, France and China have thrown their weight behind Nigeria in its quest to rescue the over 200 Chibok schoolgirls abducted by Boko Haram, a fundamentalist Islamic sect. The countries have pledged to deploy Satellite Imaging facilities and other advanced tracking technologies to rescue the girls.
Reuben Abati, special adviser to the President on Media and Publicity, announced that the President spoke with David Cameron, British Prime Minister, on phone after meeting with Premier Li Keqiang of China in Abuja last Wednesday. Abati said the offer by the United States, US, to assist Nigeria to rescue the girls had also been accepted.
Barack Obama, US President, said: “Obviously it’s a heartbreaking situation. Outrageous situation. We’ve already sent in a team to Nigeria. They’ve accepted our help through a combination of military, law enforcement, and other agencies which are going in, trying to identify where in fact these girls might be and provide them help.”
According to Abati, in furtherance of efforts by the federal government to locate and rescue the abducted school girls, President Jonathan last Wednesday requested and received a commitment from Britain to deploy its intelligence gathering resources in support of Nigeria’s security agencies currently engaged in the search and rescue operation. “President Jonathan, who spoke with the British Prime Minister, Mr. David Cameron on telephone after meeting with Premier Li Keqiang of China, who is on an official visit to Nigeria, asked and received a promise of the deployment of British Satellite Imaging capabilities and other advanced tracking technologies in support of the ongoing effort. The President thanked Mr. Cameron, the British Government and people for their concern over the fate of the abducted girls and their willingness to provide concrete assistance to save the girls from the terrorists who seized them from their school,” said Abati.
He said the Ministry of Foreign Affairs would liaise with the British Government through its High Commission in Nigeria to work out practical details of the promised support and collaboration against terrorism. Cameron had said: “I’m the father of two young daughters and my reaction is the same as every father or mother in this land or the world. This is an act of pure evil, it has united people across the planet to stand with Nigeria to help find these children and return them to their parents.”
The Chinese government is also offering its support. Abati said: “The Peoples’ Republic of China has also offered to assist in the effort to rescue the abducted girls. In talks with President Jonathan earlier today, Premier Li Keqiang promised that his country will make any useful information acquired by its satellites and intelligence services available to Nigeria’s security agencies. Mr. Keqiang assured the President that China will support Nigeria’s fight against terrorism in every possible way, including the training of military personnel for anti-insurgency operations.”
Similarly, France is lending its support to rescuing the girls. France already has over 4,000 troops operating in Mali, West and Central African Republic to the East. Having ousted al Qaeda-linked militants from Mali last year, France is planning to redeploy its forces across West Africa this summer to target Islamist groups taking advantage of porous borders between southern Libya, northern Chad and Niger. “The President has instructed … to put the (intelligence) services at the disposal of Nigeria and neighboring countries,” Laurent Fabius, French foreign minister, announced.