30 Chibok Girls, Not 15, Still Alive – Salkida

Ahmad Salkida, a journalist, known to have access to information as regards the kidnapped Chibok girls, says 30 not 15 of the yet to be released schoolgirls are still alive.

Salkida made the revelation via his official Twitter handle on Tuesday.

The journalists had in a series of tweets on Saturday, said only 15 of the Chibok schoolgirls are still alive.

According to him, many of the girls died as a result of crossfires from security forces that were supposed to rescue them.

“Many of the girls have died as a result of crossfire and bombardments of the security forces that no doubt were intent on rescuing them. I regret to state here that only 15 out of the 113 #Chibokgirls are alive today, based on my investigations in the last three months,” he wrote.

But on Tuesday, the journalist said the were other girls being held by some other factions within the Boko Haram sect.

On the night of 14–15 April 2014, Boko Haram insurgents abducted 276 female students from the Government Secondary School in the town of Chibok in Borno State, Nigeria.

Some of the girls had regained their freedom while about 100 of them are yet to be released by their abductors.

1/ The objectives of my earlier tweets marking the 4 yr anniversary of the abduction of the #Chibokgirls included, one, stir debate. Two, compel Govt and the insurgents to come clean with whatever info they have. Three, ensure the parents have current and accurate information.

— Ahmad Salkida (@ContactSalkida) April 17, 2018

2/ Indeed, the anniversary tweets have accomplished the objectives it was set out to achieve. Number one, the media, locally and internationally feasted on the tweets, commentators have analysed the issues I raised, so that’s the debate. The debate is still ongoing.

— Ahmad Salkida (@ContactSalkida) April 17, 2018

3/ Number two objectives was to compel Govt & BH to speak. The Govt is still unnecessarily defensive, I will come to that later. BH just responded in a manner that bares all the info concerning the status of the #Chibokgirls & the basis of my tweets is to highlight their response

— Ahmad Salkida (@ContactSalkida) April 17, 2018

4/ A leading member of the Jama’atu Ahlis-Sunna Lidda’Awati Wal-Jihad or BH has now clarified the earlier information about 15 girls. Indeed, the 15 #Chibokgirls are available, but known to a particular cell that spoke to me emphatically days leading to the 4th anniversary.

— Ahmad Salkida (@ContactSalkida) April 17, 2018

5/ However, two other cells within the larger group has brought additional information, clarifying the earlier information, that there is another 10 girls available to another cell. Outside of the 15 and 10, another 5 amongst the girls are also alive as at early hours of today.

— Ahmad Salkida (@ContactSalkida) April 17, 2018

6/ But the set of 5, according to the group today, have apparently become permanently embedded in the doctrines and teaching programs of the Sect and have asked not to be considered amongst those likely be included in any release in the future, if there would be any.

— Ahmad Salkida (@ContactSalkida) April 17, 2018

7/ In BH, you do not know what you don’t have access to because of the segmentation of authority. It’s part of the ethos of criminality to restrict access of lieutenants to critical information. You only know what obtains in the cell you control.

— Ahmad Salkida (@ContactSalkida) April 17, 2018

8/ However, the group has confirmed my earlier tweets that all the 15 #Chibokgirls, including the set of five are ‘married’ and the terms of their release, for those that want to be released, are consistent with the details I provided in my 4th anniversary tweets.

— Ahmad Salkida (@ContactSalkida) April 17, 2018

9/ Back to the response of the presidency, it is most disappointing that the government in its might and given the machinery available to it, peremptorily declared to the public that it lacks institutional memory regarding the processes of the #Chibokgirls. pic.twitter.com/BbqoxvVWLK

— Ahmad Salkida (@ContactSalkida) April 17, 2018

10/ “82 girls were killed” amongst 100’s of other hostages that are unheard-of, mainly in crossfires and bombardments, “some died long ago, some more recently,” a few are single or ‘widowed’ and it’s unbearable to publish their names here. This is the story of the #Chibokgirls

— Ahmad Salkida (@ContactSalkida) April 17, 2018