By Chijioke Okoronkwo
Though conscious efforts are being made to rescue the schoolgirls kidnapped from Government Secondary School, Chibok, Borno on April 14, there are concerns over the modus operandi of the #BringBackOurGirls campaigners in Nigeria.
The hastag, #BringBackOurGirls, became the most popular mantra in the world within one month, as a campaign slogan for the release of the abducted Chibok girls.
From Nigeria to Europe, America and Asia, people took to the streets and held up the placards with the inscription “#BringBackOurGirls’’.
Just recently, Malala Yousafzai, the Pakistani Girl Education Campaigner, who was shot by the Taliban, visited Nigeria to rally support for the release of the girls.
According to reports, the kidnapped girls, whose ages range from 16 to 18 years, were loaded into trucks and forcefully taken away from their hostels.
The incident elicited an unprecedented level of reactions from within and outside the country, as protests were held in almost all the countries of the world.
Besides protests, countries such as the U.S., UK, France, Israel and China contributed logistics and intelligence support to Nigeria toward the rescue of the girls.
Ever since the incident, President Goodluck Jonathan and the Nigerian security agencies have been on their toes trying to secure the release of the girls without collateral damage.
Chief of Defence Staff Alex Badeh, insists that security agencies know the location of the girls but are being careful not to endanger their lives.
“The good news for the girls is that we know where they are, but we cannot tell you,” Badeh had said.
“Nobody should come and say the Nigerian military does not know what it is doing. We know what we are doing. We can’t go and kill our girls in the name of trying to get them back,” he added.
Fielding questions from journalists recently, on whether the #BringBackOurGirls groups had a franchise to protest, Marilyn Ogar, of Department of State Services, said the motive of the groups were not genuine.
“I think you are right if you refer to the group as a franchise, security forces know exactly what they are up to.
“If it is an ordinary movement seeking to put pressure on government and security forces to release these girls, there will be no need for the groups to have tags.
“Security forces know that they have bank account, they also know that they want to go to Asokoro extension to simulate movement that they are marching into Sambisa and Chibok,’’ she said.
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Ogar further alleged that the group had arranged and brought in some foreign media to cover the false march.
She said that security forces were also aware that the groups had brought in some foreign experts to come and teach them how to beat security operations when they demonstrate.
“We also know that they have divided themselves into groups and zones, giving each other specific assignments.
“When there is a genuine struggle, it must be done transparently, no need for you to ask people to register, who is a member or not, and to pay monthly dues, I mean it is getting very ridiculous.
“You do not go and hire people to claim parenthood of a child that they did not give birth to, so it is a franchise, we know,’’ she said.
Ogar accused the groups of carrying smear campaign against certain government officials, adding that they were aware that they paid visits to prominent people soliciting funds.
More so, writing for the Black Agenda Report, Danny Haiphong, a Boston, U.S., based activist said that the #BringBackOurGirls campaign had become the loudest voice for U.S. imperialism and domination of Africa.
“It’s only message is that the U.S. do something as if America is not already responsible for the death of millions of Africans in Congo, Somalia and elsewhere.
“#BringBackOurGirls masks the reality that Washington’s real mission is to protect corporate theft of Nigeria’s wealth.
“The motives of the #BringBackOurGirls campaign are unclear. The US corporate media is focusing most of its attention on hand selected U.S.-based Nigerians demanding U.S. intervention.
“Is the campaign’s main objective to bring the young Nigerian women back to their families, as it claims? Or is it to enhance U.S. militarisation and neo-colonialism in Africa?’’