Nigerian president refuses to pay $5.6-billion ransom for Chibok girls
Nigerian President Muhammadu Buhari rejected a $5.6-billion ransom deal with Boko Haram in exchange for the freedom of 219 Chibok girls who were captured in April 2014.
The revelation came from a book titled "Muhammadu Buhari: The challenges of leadership in Nigeria" by Professor John Paden.
The Nation quoted the book as saying: "Secret negotiations had been held regarding an exchange of Boko Haram prisoners for the girls. On several occasions, prisoners were taken to Maiduguri to facilitate an exchange. But these negotiations stalled when Boko Haram demanded a ransom of €5 billion for the girls."
"The dilemma for the DSS, which was handling the negotiations, was that a military assault to rescue the girls would almost certainly result in their deaths at the hands of their Boko Haram captors," it continued.
It noted that the Nigerian government refused to pay the ransom because it would have been used to fund more terrorist attacks.
The book, which was presented at the International Conference Centre in Abuja last Monday, also stated that Buhari had information about the coup d'etat against him when he was the military Head of State in 1985. He allegedly did not try to prevent it to avoid executing army officers.
It also revealed that Buhari kept his ministers on lower salaries to make the positions less enticing for those who look at it as a means of accumulating wealth through corruption or a generous salary.
While speaking on Channels Television last Saturday, Information and Culture Minister Lai Mohammed issued a statement denying claims that the government is not concerned about the kidnapped girls.
"There shall be no closure on the Boko Haram issue until and when the Chibok girls are released and returned to the safety of their families," said Mohammed, as quoted by NAIJ.
He stated that the federal government shared the objective of Bring Back Our Girls movement (BBOG) to rescue the missing girls and added that it is ready to work closely with the group.
It has been over 900 days since the Chibok girls were kidnapped by Boko Haram. Esther Yakubu, mother of one of the Chibok girls, urged Burhari to accede to the terrorists' demands so they can retrieve the girls.
