NIGERIA: Nigerians say government should do all it can to bring back kidnapped schoolgirls
Record ID:
236717
NIGERIA: Nigerians say government should do all it can to bring back kidnapped schoolgirls
- Title: NIGERIA: Nigerians say government should do all it can to bring back kidnapped schoolgirls
- Date: 13th May 2014
- Summary: LAGOS, NIGERIA (MAY 13, 2014) (REUTERS) MAN UNDER UMBRELLA AT NEWSPAPER STAND NEWSPAPERS ON A TABLE "THE NATION" NEWSPAPER WITH HEADLINE READING (English): "BOKO HARAM CHIEF, WE ATTACK ABUJA, REFINERIES" VARIOUS OF "VANGUARD" NEWSPAPER WITH HEADLINE READING (English): "DOUBTS, HOPE AS PARENTS WATCH B-HARAM VIDEO" "THE PUNCH" NEWSPAPER WITH HEADLINE READING (English): "B'HARAM OFFERS TO SWAP ABDUCTED GIRLS FOR PRISONERS" MEN WALKING ALONG STREET, CAR DRIVING BY (SOUNDBITE) (English) REAL ESTATE CONSULTANT, IYKE, SAYING: "The people that is in prison should face the law, they have wasted blood, they have wasted innocent souls, so they should face the full weight of the law should be on them, while the federal government should do everything as much as possible to see that those girls came out." (SOUNDBITE) (English) SURVEYOR, DANIEL OSAS, SAYING: "You don't negotiate with terrorists because if you do that, definitely if you release those people that in the SSS (State Security Service) custodies, they will go and reinforce and still come back and hit you harder, so you don't negotiate with terrorists. The government should just find a way to let, to try and rescue those girls and now that the U.S. (United States) and every other person are with the government, assisting the government, I believe they should be able to do better things." MAN WALKING ALONG STREET IN FRONT OF A CAR (SOUNDBITE) (English) BUSINESSMAN, DICKSON EGBO, SAYING: "For me I will prefer the government to release those prisoners for now, allow those girls go back to their parents, then if at all they want to tackle anything concerning the terrorism in Nigeria, they map out another strategy on how to wipe off those terrorists." MAN WALKING ALONG ROAD, CARS DRIVING ALONG ROAD CARS AND MOTORBIKES DRIVING ALONG ROAD
- Embargoed: 28th May 2014 13:00
- Keywords:
- Location: Nigeria
- Country: Nigeria
- Topics: General
- Reuters ID: LVADEK1NNXXYB3L56KEZ9WI00WSS
- Story Text: Nigerians in the commercial city of Lagos reacted on Tuesday (May 13) to an offer from the leader of Islamist rebel group Boko Haram to free his militants held in a Nigerian prison in exchange of the more than 200 schoolgirls abducted by his fighters last month.
The rebel leader made the offer on a YouTube video, which could not be independently verified by Reuters.
About 100 girls wearing full veils and praying are shown in an undisclosed location in the 17-minute video in which Boko Haram leader Abubakar Shekau speaks.
While the Nigerian government deliberates on options for the release of the schoolgirls, some of its citizens say that releasing the prisoners should not be considered at all.
"The people that is in prison should face the law, they have wasted blood, they have wasted innocent souls, so they should face the full weight of the law should be on them, while the federal government should do everything as much as possible to see that those girls came out."
said Iyke, a real estate consultant.
Daniel Osas, a surveyor, also shared this opinion.
"You don't negotiate with terrorists because if you do that, definitely if you release those people that in the SSS (State Security Service) custodies, they will go and reinforce and still come back and hit you harder, so you don't negotiate with terrorists. The government should just find a way to let, to try and rescue those girls and now that the U.S. (United States) and every other person are with the government, assisting the government, I believe they should be able to do better things."
For businessman, Dickson Egbo, the girls' safe return should be paramount and if it means agreeing to the demands of the militants, it should be done.
"For me I will prefer the government to release those prisoners for now, allow those girls go back to their parents, then if at all they want to tackle anything concerning the terrorism in Nigeria, they map out another strategy on how to wipe off those terrorists," he said.
Boko Haram militants, who are fighting for an Islamist state, stormed a secondary school in the north-eastern village of Chibok on April 14 and seized 276 girls who were taking exams.
Some managed to escape but about 200 remain missing. - Copyright Holder: REUTERS
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