Nigerians split on how to recover girls

ABUJA, Nigeria -- Nigeria's military chiefs and the president appear split over how to free nearly 300 schoolgirls abducted by Islamic extremists, people familiar with the situation said, because the military said use of force endangers the hostages and the president reportedly ruled out a prisoner-hostage swap.

The defense chief, Air Marshal Alex Badeh, announced Monday night that the military located the girls, but he offered no way forward. He expressed concern that the girls' lives could be endangered by a military operation to retrieve them from the militant group Boko Haram.

Previous military attempts to free hostages have led to the abductors killing the prisoners, such as the deaths of two engineers, a Briton and an Italian, in Sokoto in March 2012.

A human-rights activist close to mediators said a swap of detained extremists for the girls was negotiated a week ago but fell through because President Goodluck Jonathan refused to consider the exchange. The activist spoke on condition of anonymity because the activist was not permitted to speak to press.

Britain's Minister for Africa, Mark Simmonds, said two weeks ago that Jonathan had told him he would not consider a prisoner swap.

Community leader Pogu Bitrus of Chibok, the town from which the girls were abducted April 15, said authorities are speaking with "discordant voices" and the president appears under pressure to negotiate.

"The pressure is there if his own lieutenants are saying one [thing]. Because if they cannot use force, the deduction is that there must be negotiation," Bitrus said. "And if their commander-in-chief, the president, is saying that he will not negotiate, then they are not on the same page."

Gov. Kashim Shettima of Borno state, the birthplace of the Boko Haram extremist group and the northeastern state from which the girls were abducted, said recently: "We impress on the federal authorities to work with our friends that have offered to assist us to ensure the safe recovery of the innocent girls."

Nigeria's military and government have faced national and international anger over their failure to rescue the girls, prompting Jonathan to accept international help. American planes have been searching for the girls and Britain, France, Israel and other countries have sent experts in surveillance and hostage negotiation.

A Boko Haram video shows some of the kidnapped girls reciting Koran verses in Arabic and two of them explaining why they had converted from Christianity to Islam in captivity. Unverified reports indicate that two may have died of snakebites, that some were forced to marry their abductors and that others may have been taken across borders into Chad and Cameroon.

Meanwhile, suspected Boko Haram gunmen have killed 54 people in two separate attacks in northeastern Nigeria, local officials said Tuesday.

In Borno state, gunmen killed nine people in two remote villages Monday night, said Nglamuda Ibrahim, a local government official.

The armed men shot at villagers, burned their homes and hoisted white flags with Arabic letters, the official said.

In a separate attack, gunmen killed 24 soldiers and 21 policemen in an assault on a military barracks in Buni Yadi town Monday night, said police constable Abdullahi Mohammed in Damaturu, the capital of Yobe state.

Amnesty International said Nigerian authorities failed to act ahead of last month's kidnappings, even though they were warned hours before Boko Haram militants staged the abductions.

Similar accusations against Nigeria's security forces are now coming out about twin bomb attacks May 20 in the central city of Jos that killed more than 130 people.

Traders in the Terminus market that was attacked said police failed to act after traders warned them about an abandoned vehicle hours before the bombings.

"Our members reported to the police that they noticed the presence of the [Peugeot] J5 bus parked early morning on that fateful date, and we don't know the owner," said Kabiru Muhammad Idris, a member of the traders' welfare committee at the market. He said police only removed the plates of the bus, and didn't check its contents.

His testimony was backed by other traders but denied by Plateau state police spokesman Felicia Anslem.

"No one informed the police about the J5 bus that was allegedly parked," Anslem said.

A second explosion followed the bus bomb as first responders arrived. No one claimed responsibility for the attack, though Boko Haram is suspected.

The group believes Western influences have corrupted Nigerian society and wants to install an Islamic state under strict Shariah law. Nigeria's population of 170 million people is divided almost equally between Christians and Muslims.

A Section on 05/28/2014

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