Femi Fani-Kayode, a two-time minister and chieftain of the People’s Democratic Party, PDP, has responded to the report by the Guardian UK alleging that former President Goodluck Jonathan rejected the help of the UK government in rescuing the abducted Chibok girls.
Chief Fani-Kayode slammed the report as “childish and asinine” and went on to accuse members of the All Progressives Congress, APC, the ruling party in Nigeria, of complicity in the abduction of over 200 schoolgirls by Boko Haram.
The allegation by the UK's @guardian that @GEJonathan rejected an offer by the UK govt to rescue the Chibok girls is childish and asinine.
— Femi Fani-Kayode (@realFFK) March 6, 2017
It is true that the Chibok girls were abducted under @GEJonathan's watch but it is also true that elements in @MBuhari's APC were behind it.
— Femi Fani-Kayode (@realFFK) March 6, 2017
During the 2015 campaigns, the then, opposition All Progressives Congress, APC, capitalized on the emotional issues surrounding the abduction of the Chibok schoolgirls in their campaigns for its candidate, General Muhammadu Buhari.
The girls were abducted in April 2014 from their school dormitory in a Chibok village in Borno by Islamist terrorist group, Boko Haram. Their abduction led to an international outcry which contributed to the bad press former President Goodluck Jonathan received leading up to the elections in which he conceded defeat to his opponent, the now ailing President Buhari.
President Buhari promised to rescue the kidnapped girls, and made it one of his main campaign promises during the heated campaigns of 2015.
However, only 21 of the girls have been returned to their families, through the effort of the government, while over a 150 of them remain in captivity. One of the girls wandered out of captivity with a baby before the government rescue.
Though the government denies paying a ransom for the return of the girls, inside sources say money exchanged hands.
