News reports obtained through the Freedom of Information Act in the UK, indicates that the Jonathan Goodluck administration rejected an offer from The British Armed Forces to rescue the 276 Chibok schoolgirls abducted by Boko Haram in 2014.
In a mission named Operation Turus, The Guardian newspaper said that BAF conducted air reconnaissance over northern Nigeria for several months, following the kidnapping of the girls from their dormitory.
“The girls were located in the first few weeks of the BAF mission,” a source involved in Operation Turus told The Observer. “We offered to rescue them, but the Nigerian government declined.”
It said the girls were then tracked by the aircraft as they were dispersed into progressively smaller groups over the following months, the source added.
According to reports, notes from meetings between UK and Nigerian officials, obtained through the Freedom of Information Act, also suggest that Nigeria shunned international offers to rescue the girls. The Guardian said while Nigeria welcomed an aid package and assistance from the US, the UK and France in looking for the girls, it viewed any action to be taken against kidnapping as a “national issue.” “Nigeria’s intelligence and military services must solve the ultimate problem,” Jonathan was quoted as saying in a meeting with the UK’s then Africa Minister, Mark Simmonds, on May 15, 2014.
A document detailing meetings in Abuja in September 2014 between Nigeria’s national security adviser and James Duddridge MP, a former under-secretary of state at the Foreign Office, shows Operation Turus had advanced to the point where rescue options were being discussed.
Minutes from a meeting between Maj. Gen. James Chiswell and Jonathan the following month, hinted at the frustration felt by those trying to prompt some action from Nigeria.
“(President) Jonathan was still focused on ‘platforms.’ Gen. Chiswell said again we could offer advice on what equipment might make sense and how weapon systems might be best deployed,” the October 2014 document stated.
But former president Jonathan Goodluck on Sunday faulted reports that his administration rebuffed offers from the UK for the rescue of the abducted Chibok girls.
In a statement issued on his behalf by his Media Adviser, Mr. Ikechukwu Eze, the former President said he personally invited major world powers such as the US, UK and Holland among others to be part of the rescue mission to free the abducted girls.
The response was titled: ‘’Re: Alleged British offer to rescue Chibok schoolgirls: Our Response,’’
the statement read: ‘’Our attention has been drawn to a report that has been trending, without proper attribution, to the effect that the last administration rebuffed British offer to rescue the kidnapped Chibok schoolgirls. ‘’We wish to promptly point out that nothing can be farther from the truth, as Nigerians are conversant with the effort made by the Jonathan administration towards rescuing the Chibok girls, especially in relation to collaborating with the international community, in the bid. ‘’We can confidently say that the lies in this report are self-evident.
This is because the international press as well as the Nigeria media actively covered the multinational efforts and collaboration, which involved some of the major powers deploying their crack intelligence officers to work with our own security operatives, and those of our neighbours.
‘’In the course of the mission, the international team, including members from Nigeria’s neighbours of Chad, Niger and Cameroun, met regularly with our own operatives to plan and conduct their operations. ‘’In fact, the Jonathan administration was so genuinely supportive that the foreign powers involved were granted permission to overfly our airspace, while conducting the search and rescue missions.
We would wish to recall that this collaboration was made possible following letters personally written by former President Jonathan to President Barack Obama of the United States, President Francois Hollande of France, Mr. David Cameron, the former Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, as well as personal contacts made to the Governments of Israel and China, seeking their assistance in the search for the abducted Chibok girls.
‘’We are, however, not surprised that this kind of concocted story is coming out at this point in time, as it appears that some people who have obviously been playing politics with the issue of the Chibok girls will stop at nothing to further their interest. ‘’
Again, we ask the newspapers to always cross-check their facts before rushing to publish false information, especially when being spread by those who want to unfairly promote their own pride, against our own national interest.’’
