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Abducted girls: Police offer N50m reward for info

The Nigeria police on Wednesday announced a

cash reward of N50m for anyone who

volunteers information that could lead to the

location and rescue of the female students

abducted from Government Secondary School,

Chibok, Borno State.

The police action came on the heels of local

and international clamour for the Federal

Government to ensure the safety and rescue

of the girls.

The female pupils, about 234 of them, were

abducted from their hostels on April 14.

The violent Islamic sect, Boko Haram, had on

Monday released a video in which the sect

leader, Abubakar Shekau, said the girls were

abducted by members of his group and that

he would sell them off.

"I abducted your girls; I will sell them in the

market, by Allah,"the maniacal leader of the

sect said.

A statement by the Force Public Relations

Officer, Frank Mba on Wednesday in Abuja

called on the public to be part of the solution

to the current security challenge in the

country.

It reassured the citizens that any information

given would be treated anonymously and with

utmost confidentiality.

The Force urged all patriotic citizens with

useful information to contact the following

numbers: 09-2914649; 08081777309;

08055547536; 08032125050;

08034617591and 0803596973.

Foreign help

Beyond condemning insecurity in the country,

however, foreign countries have responded

positively to Jonathan's call for assistance.

The Presidency said on Tuesday that Jonathan

had accepted an offer from the United States

as part of efforts to rescue the Chibok girls.

"President Goodluck Jonathan Tuesday

welcomed and accepted a definite offer of

help from the United States of America in the

ongoing effort to locate and rescue the girls

abducted from the Government (Girls)

Secondary School, Chibok three weeks ago,"

the President's spokesman, Reuben Abati, said

in a statement.

The US said it would send a security team to

Nigeria to help assist the government in

finding the abducted girls.

White House Press Secretary, Jay Carney, said

that the US would provide military personnel,

intelligence and hostage negotiators to help

the government.

Carney said, "There is a utility to having U.S.

military personnel and experts on intelligence"

on the ground in Nigeria, "and hostage

negotiators to assist and advise the Nigerian

government as they deal with this challenge."

Abati also said on Wednesday that offers had

come from the British Prime Minister, Mr.

David Cameron, and the Premier of China, Mr.

Li Keqiang, to assist the Federal Government

in its efforts to rescue the schoolgirls.

The presidential spokesman, in another

statement on Wednesday said, "In furtherance

of efforts by the Federal Government to locate

and rescue the girls abducted from the

Government (Girls) Secondary School, Chibok,

President Goodluck Ebele Jonathan on

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 the phone 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.

"He told the Prime Minister that the Ministry

of Foreign Affairs will liaise with the British

Government through its High Commission in

Nigeria to work out practical details of the

promised support and collaboration against

terrorism.

"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."

France also on Wednesday offered to send

security service agents to Nigeria to help in

the rescue efforts, the French Foreign

Minister, Laurent Fabius, said.

"The President has instructed … to put the

(intelligence) services at the disposal of

Nigeria and neighbouring countries," Fabius,

according to Reuters, told lawmakers.

"This morning he asked us to contact the

Nigerian president to tell him that a

specialised unit with all the means we have in

the region was at the disposal of Nigeria to

help find and recover these young girls.

"In the face of such ignominy France must

react. This crime cannot be left unpunished,"

Fabius said.

[PUNCH NG]

Kofi Oppong Kyekyeku

I am a Ghanaian Broadcast Journalist/Writer who has an interest in General News, Sports, Entertainment, Health, Lifestyle and many more.

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