Terrorists wanted Buhari to pay €5bn for Chibok girls’ release but he refused

The group also wanted the government to release some of its jailed members as part of negotiations for the girls’ release.

These details are contained in the recently launched book, “Muhammadu Buhari: The challenges of leadership in Nigeria”.

The book was written by Professor John Paden, a Professor of International Studies who has a deep knowledge of Nigeria.

Find excerpts from the book on the Chibok girls’ issue below:

“An additional issue was the status of the Chibok girls. Secret negotiations had been held regarding an exchange of Boko Haram prisoners for the girls. On several occasions, prisoners were taken to Maiduguri to facilitate an exchange. But these negotiations stalled when Boko Haram demanded a ransom of €5billion for the girls.

“The dilemma for the DSS, which was handling the negotiations, was that a military assault to rescue the girls would almost certainly result in their deaths at the hands of their Boko Haram captors.

“But the Nigerian government was not going to accede to Boko Haram’s extra-ordinary demand for a vast sum of money which would no doubt be used to fund future attacks.

“One or two girls were able to escape their captors in May, but the rest remained captive and the impasse continued

“The Chibok girls were not alone in their grim fate. Hundreds if not thousands, of persons had been captured by Boko Haram in the North-East. Buhari would need to continue degrading Boko Haram until he could tighten the noose around its Sambisa hideouts and bring a close end to this painful episode.”

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Boko Haram, on August 14, released a video demanding the freedom of its jailed members in exchange for the missing girls.

The over 200 girls were abducted by Boko Haram on April 14, 2014 and most of them remain in captivity.