The Islamic human rights group, Muslim Rights Concern, MURIC, has called on former president of Nigeria, Goodluck Jonathan, to apologise to Nigerians over the failure of his government to rescue the Chibok school girls kidnapped by the terrorist group, Boko Haram.
Chibok is in Borno, North East of Nigeria.
The group said it did not believe Jonathan’s denial of the claim by former British Prime Minister David Cameron that he frustrated the attempt of British special forces to rescue the girls.
The group said it based its rejection on the ex-president’s initial hesitation to take action after the abduction occurred in 2014.
The statement signed by the director of MURIC, Professor Ishaq Akintola, calling on Jonathan to apologise, reads in part:
“We reject Jonathan’s alibi. We take it with a pinch of salt. It is a cock and bull story. We are not actually basing our rejection on David Cameron’s revelation, rather we are looking at Jonathan’s reaction ab initio. The letters he claimed to have written to foreign powers to seek help were mere afterthoughts. He should tell the marines.
“Jonathan should explain to us why he put the totality of the Nigerian defence architecture to sleep for 21 days after the abduction. He politicized the issue instead of springing to action. He refused to give orders to the military to go after the kidnappers. Instead, he called the kidnap story a ruse designed to discredit his administration. He said it never occurred.
“So Jonathan should leave the Cameron angle aside. Cameron was far away in No 10 Downing Street when the hoodlums kidnapped our girls. Jonathan was right here in Aso Rock, wining and dining and refusing to act while Madam Patience Jonathan was trying to puncture the veracity of the incident with her ‘diaris God oooo’.
“Had Jonathan sprang to action immediately after the abduction like a real Commander-in-Chief of the Nigerian Armed Forces, the calamity would have been reversed but he delayed action until it was too late. His lackadaisical approach in those crucial moments allowed the insurgents to dig in. He gave Boko Haram an excruciatingly painful 21-day respite which enabled them to take the innocent girls deep into the forest. It was a serious dereliction of duty and an indubitably impeachable offence in a proactive parliamentary democracy. Unfortunately our lawmakers were on sabbatical.”
MURIC said the best Jonathan could do was to apologise to Nigerians for the Chibok debacle.
The group advised Jonathan to swallow his pride and eat the humble pie.
“There are no two ways to it. An unreserved apology is what Nigerians are expecting and we will keep pounding the ex-president until he does the needful.
“We are concerned because that abduction emboldened the insurgents, exposed our underbelly and endangered Nigerian citizens to more criminalities. It was a huge blow to our security apparatus. Whatever threatens the safety and security of lives and properties of Nigerians must attract the interest of every serious civil society group. The Chibok incident opened the floodgate to the frequent kidnappings in the country today.”
The group also appealed to President Buhari to double government’s efforts to rescue the girls, including the Dapchi school girl, Leah Sharibu, from captivity.
“We urge Nigerians to intensify their prayers for the safe return of the Chibok girls. We must also remember Leah Sharibu, the lone Christian girl who was denied freedom by the insurgents,” MURIC added.
