Less than three days after the swap of 82 Chibok girls on May 7, 2017, and a payment of €3 million ransom for the release of five commanders from DSS custody, a video of Shuaibu Moni, one of the swapped Boko Haram commanders went viral where he issued threats to Nigerian state with continued attacks and suicide bombings.
The deal, which was facilitated by the Swiss government, has lately come under intense criticisms locally and internationally following allegations of corruptions against the mediators.
The unending hostage-taking by the terrorists, the swap and ransom payments process have further deepen doubts and skepticism on the sincerity of the deal.
The often cited International Committee of the Red Cross involvement in the negotiations turn out to be false, in a statement issued on February 22, 2018, said it only acted as an intermediary between the Boko Haram and the Nigerian Government in the provision of its vehicles used to transport the freed girls to Nigerian officials at Banki town in Borno State, North-East Nigeria.
“With the agreement of all the parties involved, we acted as a neutral intermediary to facilitate their transport back,” added the ICRC.
Lately, the Daily Telegraph of London accused the Nigerian government of fuelling the kidnap industry in an article written by its correspondent, Colin Freeman, https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2018/03/24/nigerian-government-fuelling-boko-harams-kidnapping-industry
Another Canadian based on-line newspaper, went further to give details of ongoing Nigerian-Swiss-Boko Haram so called back channel negotiation effort, in an article titled: Nigeria and State Complicity with Terrorists written by Ann Mcgregor, an expert on global security and intelligence. http://newsplusviews.news/?p=963
Now the worst fears is confirmed with the deadly attack on Easter Sunday in which Shuaibu Moni led multiple attacks on communities of Bale Kura, Bale Shuwarin, Jamine and Alikaramti villages in Jere local government near Maiduguri, by Boko Haram, which killed more than 20 people and left 83 wounded.
With that act, Moni now open the third splinter group in the Boko Haram terrorist (BHT) end-game of kidnapping and suicide bombing against the Nigerian state and most importantly made true his promise to continue with arms struggle.
The Easter attack in Maiduguri by Moni few weeks after the Department of Security Service released and swap the top ISWA commander Hussaini Maitangaran, who was also responsible for the deadly explosive attacks against worshippers at the Kano Central Mosque as well as an attack on a military formation in Yobe State in 2015, which claimed hundreds of lives has further unmask the conundrum of the dealing with Boko Haram by the state officials.
Lawal Daura, Director-General of the DSS,on Friday, March 23, 2018 at the State House presidential villa informed President Buhari that the insurgents’ only condition was a cessation of hostilities and temporary ceasefire, to pave the way for the return of the Dapchi girls.
Immediately after the first swap of Chibok girls with Moni and Co, the group has carried out more than fifteen suicide bombings and armed attacks in IDP camps. The Nigerian state is gradually becoming a captive humiliated and sucked by international interlocutors and terrorists associates.
While the military continue to say there is no inch of Nigerian territory under Boko Haram Terrorists control, its difficult to reconcile with what Mr Daura said: “ the insurgents are factionalized while holding various spheres of influence in their guerrilla controlled enclaves”.
No wonder Daily Telegraph of London has learned that behind the scenes, many diplomats and advisers to Mr Buhari bitterly opposed the decision to make concessions.
One Western source involved in the talks said: “Buhari was influenced by the Swiss, who were keen to get the glory. Complaints were made repeatedly to the Swiss that if you paid for hostages once, you’d have to do it again. But they got quite belligerent. And now look – they got 82 girls back from Chibok, then another 110 get taken in Dapchi.
“While Britain and America had both offered help in finding the girls, neither they nor the UN or EU wanted to get entangled with Boko Haram.”
