Ahmad Salkida, a journalist and a close ally of the Boko Haram sect has opened a can of worms on the untold stories behind the abduction of some girls from a school in Chibok area of Borno State in 2014.
Salkida, who was once declared wanted by the military over his alleged connection to Boko Haram militants, revealed that the violent group had wanted the then government under Goodluck Jonathan to swap its detained members with the abducted girls but the deal hit the rocks.
Salkida said his efforts to seal the deal were truncated at the eleventh hour by the then Chief of Defence Staff.
In a series of tweets, detailing the yet-to-be-told story of the Chibok saga, the controversial journalist disclosed that at the moment, only 15 out of the 115 girls kidnapped by the insurgents were still alive.
Sadly, he said they have been married out and no longer under the control of the sect.
He recalled thus, “Four years ago, a middle ranking Boko Haram commander led dozens of fighters in search of food and other supplies in the remote town of Chibok, like an afterthought, they saw a chance to abduct school girls in GSS Chibok, the girls at the time were preparing for their exams.
“The dozens of Boko Haram fighters faced no opposition during the abduction, as they struggled to convey their captives to the forest of Alagarno, the insurgent’s first war capital, which they named Timbuktu. It was in Timbuktu that they organised most of the horror we experience today.
“Some of the girls were lucky to have escaped on their way to Timbuktu that night, because there were fewer fighters to hold more than 200 girls. At the beginning, the group didn’t know what to do with the girls, at least, not in the first one month of their captivity.
“However, what many people did not know was that two weeks into the abduction, the Jonathan administration was already in touch with me for the peaceful release of the girls. By the way, I was in self-exile after pressure from the same Government.
“I took an excuse where I was doing a menial job in the UAE (but still reporting the insurgency), to see the president, which was facilitated by Aliyu Gebi and Labaran Maku. By the 3rd of May, I was already on my way from Abuja to Madagali, Marwa and finally to a Boko Haram camp.
“I got a proof of life for the president and another for the media in case I didn’t get back. The demands of Boko Haram then were simple, they wanted detained members taken to Damaturu and they will move the girls to Buniyardi for swap somewhere in between. There was no word on ransom
“I was provided with full military escort from Abuja to Damaturu, Govt was supposed to make sure that 70 detainees were ready on my arrival in Damaturu to meet 30 there. The rest of the negotiating team was in Abuja making sure the prisoners were on a plane before my arrival.”
Silkida, however, said he was shocked on getting to Damaturu, the Yobe State capital only to discover that the detained Boko Haram members were not on ground for the swap deal.
He wrote, “On arrival in Damaturu, the military commander there was not briefed about my work. He was merely told to expect a VIP? At that time, the girls have been moved by Boko Haram, but there was no prisoner for exchange and I got a call from the former CDS to abort the operation.
“The president later said before me that he did not call off the swap. There was a credible window, but zero will to rescue the girls. Boko Haram members were angry. I returned to the UAE to continue my hustle, but received invitations not only by the former administration, but the current government.
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