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US Prepares To Engage Boko Haram

Published

11 years ago

June 16, 2014

A United States Congressional Delegation on Sunday, revealed that US troops are ready to be deployed in the search for the over 234 female students that were abducted on April 14, from Government Girls Secondary School, Chibok, Borno State, by Boko Haram sect members.

The US delegation Representatives which comprised Steve Stockman, Sheila Jackson-Lee, Frederica Wilson and Lois Frankel made this known at a news conference in Abuja.

Speaking at the Unity Fountain which was the venue of the conference, Stockman said: “We get briefed by the military and pending the approval of the government of Nigeria and our government, we plan to take action but I don’t think we are going into specifics this time; it was a classified briefing. We stand ready to help and as soon as our government and Nigerian government approve, we will take action.”

Jackson-Lee on his part revealed that the United States is currently helping with the training of officials of the Nigerian Army.

“What I want to say is that I think what it is right now is to work with the Nigerian government in training of the military. I want to emphasise again here that we have come all these miles to say that our Congress stands ready to cooperate with the government in a manner that is appropriate and with the consent of Nigerian government. And I want to emphasise the need for the Victims Relief Fund because there is so much suffering going on by the young girls and the families that have been touched by this violence” he said.

She went further to call on the federal government to endeavor to establish a National Victims Fund for victims of insurgency, adding that such fund would be required for the rehabilitation of such people.

“Collectively, we bring a wide range of special knowledge to Nigeria and to focus on a very important issue. We have come from the United States to focus on bringing the girls back and to focus on stopping the violence of Boko Haram” Jackson-Lee said. “So we come today with solution; we also come today in asking the North east and Nigeria to continue to accept international help and it is time to find a way to contain the Boko Haram and save the lives of so many.”

The delegates stressed the need for compensation to all the victims who have suffered at the hands of Boko Haram, for the girls who are still missing, for the girls who escaped, for their families, for the father who spoke about his missing daughter and the victims who have perished as well as their families.

“We thank President Obama and the United States Congress for its very keen interest on the question of bringing the girls back, and stopping the horrific violence of Boko Haram,” Jackson-Lee said, adding that the decision shows unity about the crisis inflicted on the girls, women and their families, and went ahead to urge the Northeast and Borno State to stop the Boko Haram menace.

On his part, Stockman, who is the chairman of the humanitarian mission remarked that , they hope to join Nigeria in a comprehensive partnership to fight insurgency, and promised to join resolve the problem, while Frederica Wilson, reiterated the United States stand with Nigeria in putting an end to terrorism. He described the Chibok girls abduction as “outrageous”.