The Boko Haram terrorist group rejected the ransom offered by the Federal Government to secure the release of Leah Sharibu, sources at the Presidency told Daily Trust yesterday.
Sharibu, a schoolgirl, is the only Dapchi schoolgirl still held hostage out of the 110 kidnapped by the Boko Haram terrorist group from the Government Girls’ Science and Technical College, Dapchi, Yobe State, in 2018.
The sources that the money was ready to be delivered when the terrorists, who had made the request for a specific amount totalling millions of Naira in hard currency, changed their minds and rejected any ransom.
They said the Federal Government reached an agreement after a long communication procedure as the channels of communication between top security agents of the government, third parties and the terrorists at times took more than a month to complete one line of messages back and forth.
One of the sources said: “while the Federal Government remains strongly committed to securing the release of Leah and all other identified and unidentified abductees, by any means necessary, the terrorists chose much earlier after Leah’s abduction to use her to fan religious embers and cause devastating division in the country.
And that was why the terrorists rejected the ransom government security agencies prepared to pay for Leah’s release.”
The source said top presidential officials still encouraged federal government officials to remain actively engaged with the channels of communication with the negotiators until a positive resolution is secured “because the president has set a firm target and resolve to ensure the freedom of Leah and others by any means necessary.”
Credit To: Daily Trust
