'Chibok girls are alive,' says Boko Haram’s contact

A journalist and an alleged confidant of the leadership of Boko Haram identified as Ahmed Sakida, has recently disclosed that the abducted Chibok girls are still alive. Ahmed Salkida claimed that some of the girls who were kidnapped from their dormitory in April 2014, have refused to be converted to Islam.

The journalist who made this revelation in an interview with The Cabel, an online news platform, advised President Buhari to open up negotiation channels with the militants.

This revelation is coming a day after Buhari said that his government had no intelligence on the whereabouts of the Chibok girls.

“Most of the Chibok girls, whether they are split into groups or not, are alive, multiple credible sources have told me. And if a deal to release them will weaken national security and endanger the entire country, then the federal government shouldn’t make a deal,” Salkida said.

“I am confident that Chibok girls and other captives can return to their families if the government is half as strong-willed as some of the girls in captivity that have refused to be married out or give up their faith.

“The girls would have never backed out of any process, no matter how irritating it is. They would stay on and negotiate hard until they get a deal that will earn them their freedom and stop such abductions so that no one else can ever witness their woeful plight,” the journalist added.