Extremist group Boko Haram has offered the Nigerian government a deal in which it will free the 219 Chibok women and girls it captured in April 2014 in exchange for the release of their imprisoned 16 military leaders.
Oby Ezekwesili, lead activist of the "Bring Back Our Girls" (BBOG) campaign, spoke with the five-week-old administration of Nigerian president Muhammadu Buhari on Wednesday to discuss the release of the kidnapped girls. Former Nigerian president Goodluck Jonathan wasn't able to close a deal with the extremist group. Buhari's "new slate" might entice the Boko Haram to be open to discuss negotiations again.
"We only ask for your patience," Buhari said, welcoming the leader of the BBOG campaign leader. "The delay and conflicting reaction by the former government and its agencies is very unfortunate."
"The rescue of our Chibok girls is the strongest statement that this government could make to show respect for the sanctity and dignity of every Nigerian life," Ezekwesili said in respone, according to Fox News.
July 9 marked the 451st day since 219 women and girls were kidnapped by the Boko Haram on April 15, 2014. The White House and even celebrities like Anne Hathaway are in full-support with the BBOG campaign.
Since the kidnapping of Chibok women and girls last year, the Boko Haram managed to disseminate fear in every Nigerians' hearts through their suicide bombings and mass killings around the country, as previously reported by HNGN. The January mass killing this year left additional fear, as the extremists killed 2,000 people then.
"Boko Haram will soon know the strength of our collective will and commitment to rid this nation of terror, and bring back peace and normalcy to all the affected areas. We shall spare no effort until we defeat terrorism. We shall strongly battle another form of evil that is even worse than terrorism - the evil of corruption," Muhammadu Buhari, the newly elected president of Nigeria, said back in April, according to Bloomberg.
At least 350 people were killed by Boko Haram just in this month, having killed 97 people in the Nigerian village of Kukawa while residents were praying ahead of their daylong fast for Ramadan. Human rights activitists have also been urging the Nigerian government to allow Boko Haram's rape victims to have abortions.
Until today, Boko Haram has not shown any response to the Nigerian government apart from its May 2014 video in which its leader, Abubakar Shekau stated, "You won't see the girls again unless you release our brothers you have captured," according to the Daily Mail.
