Conflicts Rock Boko Haram Camp Over The Swap Of Chibok Girls

Strong pointers indicated on Monday that the Federal Government was in a dilemma over the faction of the Boko Haram sect, it should be negotiating with.The FG had in the past four months been holding meetings with members of the sect with a view to securing the release of the Chibok girls.

It was however sad that the matter came to a head two weeks ago with the balkanization of the sect.

A source close to Presidency said, “We do not want to make the mistake the past administration made when its negotiation with the sect did not lead to the release of the girls. We are still in a dilemma on which of the two factions should we negotiate with. We must confirm that the offers are genuine.”

The sect had on August 3 split with the  ISIS naming  Abu Musab al-Barnawi as the new leader of Boko Haram. Meanwhile the notorious Abubakar Shekau, has released an audio message in Arabic and Hausa languages accusing al-Barnawi of trying to stage a coup against him.

Shekau dismissed el-Barnawi “as an infidel who condones living in an un-Islamic society without waging jihad.” He also claimed to have been tricked by some of his followers.

However, the Minister of Information, Alhaji Lai Mohammed,  in an interview with State House correspondents after a workshop organised for top security chiefs on how to respond to emergency situations such as terrorism and flood inside the Presidential Villa, Abuja on Monday, reiterated  that the Federal government must first ascertain the authenticity of those it is dialoguing with.

In his words, “The government’s position is clear that we are in touch with them. We are just being careful and cautious to ensure that we are 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 assure the nation that we are on top of the situation. We are not even just reacting to the video, we have gone far beyond the video in talking to the group already. Until you are able to ascertain the authenticity of those you are talking to, you don’t go into details,” he said.