America Joins The Search For The Abducted 200 School Girls

The United States of America and Britain have joined the search for the 200 girls abducted from Government Girls Secondary School, Chibok, Borno, by the dreaded Boko Haram sect.

Nigerian soldiers had initially claimed that it had rescued all but 18 of the girls. But the school principal, Asabe Kwabura, debunked the military's claim. Also, parents who tried to rescue the children from Sambisa Forest where they are reportedly being kept by Boko Haram had to turn back when they learnt that the sect was heavily armed and that they might lose their lives if they should move further into the forest.But giving the new development, already some critical arrests have been made...

On Friday the British Foreign Secretary, William Hague, said his country had begun talks with Nigeria over the incident. He stated this in a response made available to Punch by spokesperson of British High Commission in Abuja, Mr. Robert Fitzpatrick.

“The appalling abduction in northern Nigeria on April 14 is a stark reminder of the threat of sexual violence faced by women in conflict prone areas. I am very concerned that the majority of the girls are still missing. I spoke to Nigerian Foreign Minister, Wali, about this case on 18 April, and we are talking to Nigerian authorities about how best to assist in their efforts to secure the girls’ release and bring those responsible to justice.”

It was gathered that among those that have been arrested is a security guard at the school and some members of the Chibok community, whose names came up during the military’s interaction with some of the girls who escaped from the insurgents.

The source stated, “The whole emphasis is on intelligence gathering; and that is why the Federal Government is contacting the US and the UK to assist in the area of intelligence gathering. Another thing you must know is that several arrests have been made, and a lot of efforts are being made.

“The security guard at the school in Chibok is being quizzed and some people from the community too have been arrested.”

It would be recalled that the girls were kidnapped in their hostel on April 14 after members of Boko Haram sect, pretending to be soldiers, lured the pupils away from their hostel before setting the building ablaze