A legal practitioner and mediator who negotiated the release of the 82 Chibok girls by Boko Haram insurgents, Barrister Zannah Mustapha, has said that some of the abducted girls chose to remain with Boko Haram insurgents who abducted them from the Government Girls Secondary School Chibok in Borno state in April 2014.
Zannah Mustapha, who spoke with Reuters, said that the refusal of the other girls could be as a result of the fact that they have been radicalized by the Boko Haram group or might be afraid, ashamed or even felt too strong as terrorists to return to their old lives.
He said: “some girls refused to return. I have never talked to one of the girls about their reasons. As a mediator, it is not part of my mandate to force them (to return home).”
The lawyer said that future talks between the government and the insurgents would extend beyond the release of the remaining Chibok girls in captivity, and that such talks will also focus on negotiating peace in the North-East.
Zannah Mustapha said: “we are not just talking; we are still actively working towards peace.
“Even though we have got (some of) the girls back, I don’t feel we have made much progress. After the (release of) the 21 girls, how many hundreds have been killed by suicide bombings?”
“While Boko Haram may indeed hold out in releasing all of the hostages to maintain some form of leverage, the reality is that the girls have limited value to the sect outside of public relations capital and are likely placing a strain on resources.” [myad]
