Skip to main content

FG should not bow to Boko Haram’s demand –Poll........drop your comments below

InfographicAn overwhelming number of Nigerians are of the view that the President Goodluck Jonathan-led Federal Government should not release detained Boko Haram members in exchange for the 234 girls abducted from the Government Secondary School, Chibok, Borno State, on April 14.
In a well-circulated video showing some of the abducted girls, the leader of the violent Islamist sect, Abubakar Shekau, had given the proposal as a condition for the release of the abducted pupils.
Respondents, in a poll conducted by PUNCH ONLINE on the question ‘Should the FG agree to Boko Haram’s proposal to free detained terrorists before the sect releases the 234 abducted Chibok schoolgirls?’ voted overwhelmingly that it would be a wrong step for the FG to succumb to such a demand.
The poll opened on May 15, 2014.
At the end of the poll on May 23, 2014, one thousand and seventy seven respondents had taken part, choosing either ‘Yes’ or ‘No’ to the poll question.
The outcome showed that 869 respondents, representing 81 per cent, agree that the FG should not exchange detained members of the sect for the abducted schoolgirls.
Conversely, 208 respondents, which represent 19 per cent, think that the prisoner swap option is a reasonable step to bring back the girls.
Speaking on Amanpour, a talk show programme on CNN, the Borno State Governor, Kashim Shettima, had said government should negotiate with Boko Haram.
He said, “The issue of not negotiating with the terrorists – it’s out of the question; if it means talking to the devil, it means the devil can come down, we can get back our girls.”
Indeed, the 208 respondents must have reasoned along the line of Shettima.
The respondents, too, apparently share the views of a North-based human rights activist and President, Civil Rights Congress, Shehu Sanni, who believes FG should negotiate with Boko Haram and consider its option for releasing the Chibok girls.
In an exclusive interview with PUNCH, Sanni had opined that there were two ways to free the girls from their captors – one is force and the other is negotiation.
He said, “We need to understand that any attempt to use force is most likely to end in a disaster.
“The lives of the girls should be more important to us than the conditions attached to their release.
“The State of Israel released about 300 Palestinians because of one Israeli soldier abducted by a group regarded as a terrorist group. They valued the life of the soldier over the lives of the detainees.”
Conversely, the 869 respondents must have aligned their thoughts with that of another human rights activist, Femi Falana (SAN), who insists that the schoolgirls are not prisoners, and so a prisoner swap situation doesn’t arise.
Falana said, “From legal point of view, the abducted girls are not prisoners of war. They are not soldiers of the Nigerian Army; therefore, there is no lawful ground for such a demand.”
The FG is however yet to make its decision on the issue public

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

The War between Iconic Emeka Ike and Segun Arinze

The war between iconic actors Segun Arinze and Emeka Ike seems to have no end in sight. In a recent interview, Arinze had said Ike should stop embarrassing the Actors Guild of Nigeria by parading himself as its president. According to Segun: ‘Emeka should grow up. As far as I am concerned, Ibinabo Fiberesima is the bonafide president. Even in the recent judgement that came out recently telling us to return to the status quo, what does it mean? We were told to go back to the way we were. There was no time Emeka Ike was pronounced the president of AGN. Let him bring out the copy of the judgement and show us if he is man enough. He should wake up and stop embarrassing the guild.” Well, these words did not go down well with Ike who believes Segun Arinze “is an illiterate who should have been in jail.” He told Saturday Beats: “I heard Segun Arinze was interviewed and he said so many things about me and nobody asked me for my own side. I don’t think it was a balanced report. Se...
3 comments
Read more

400-YEAR Old Church Emerge From Receding Water

No biggie, but a Colonial-era church has emerged from receding waters in Mexico. Leonel Mendoza fishes every day in a reservoir surrounded by forest and mountains in the southern Mexico state of Chiapas. But in recent days, he has been ferrying curious passengers out to see the remains of a colonial-era church that has emerged from the receding waters. Pretty impressive, right? A drought this year means the level of the Grijalva River, which flows into the Nezahualcoyotl reservoir, has dropped by 25 meters (82 feet). It is the second time a drop in the reservoir has revealed the church since it was flooded when the dam was completed in 1966. In 2002, the water was so low visitors could walk inside the church. ‘The people celebrated. They came to eat, to hang out, to do business. I sold them fried fish. They did processions around the church,’ Mendoza recalled. The church near Quechula was built by a group of monks headed by Friar Bartolome de l...
Post a Comment
Read more

Ten Safety Tips when driving in the Rain

The Federal Road Safety Corps has reminded all motorists and other road users to be cautious on the roads as the rainy season has set in. This is to ensure sanity on the highways during the season even as the Corps also harps on the need for strict compliance with traffic rules and regulations among road users especially during this period. According to the FRSC’s Public Education Officer, Corps Commander Imoh Etuk, the corps was concerned over the attitude of many drivers. However, here are a few tips to drive safely during this period according to wikiHow ; 1. Keep both hands on the steering wheel at all times! Keep all distractions, such as cell phones or even the radio, off and away from you. While focus to your front do Take a Look in Back View Mirror as well Right Hand side & Left Hand side so that you get an 360 degree over view what is happening around any mud slide or falling tree, electric pole, hanging electrical wires , or in coming hazard etc 2....
1 comment
Read more