Missing girls might still be in Sambisa Forest – BBOG

monjola sotubo

January 19, 2017 5:00 PM

The group added that the girls might have been moved to another area after the takeover of the sect's headquarters, by the Nigerian Army.

Oby Ezekwesili (R) with another member of the Bring Back Our Girls (BBOG) group during a silent protest on August 30, 2016.

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The group added that the girls might have been moved to another area of the forest after the takeover of the sect's headquarters, Camp Zairo by the Nigerian Army.

The group made the comments after some of its members, including leader, Oby Ezekwesili visited the forest.

“There is no contradiction between the recovery of Camp Zero by our troops and the possibility that our girls may have been relocated to other locations within the vast Sambisa forest,” BBOG said in a statement released on Wednesday, January 19.

“Sambisa forest is a vast expanse of land covering several hundred square kilometres, whereas ‘Camp Zero’ is only about 2square kilometres. Whereas Camp Zero is destroyed and desolate, it represents only a fraction of the large expanse known as Sambisa forest. This explains why our troops are still in Sambisa forest even after declaring victory when Camp Zero fell.

“The less antagonistic government acts towards those in society who scrutinize its actions and demand accountability, the faster progress [the] society makes.

“The government must open up to scrutiny. Transparency must be a key tool of the military as much as possible for winning the counter insurgency war. This becomes even more important considering the military’s chequered history of distrust with the civilian population.

“What is the state of the prosecution of those indicted in misappropriating monies for arms procurement. What assurances are there that diversions of monies meant to prosecute the ongoing war. We cannot over emphasise the importance of proper equipping and military welfare,” the group added.

ALSO READ: FG meets BBOG's fresh conditions to join trip to Sambisa Forest

Ezekwesili announced after the trip that the army had not conquered Sambisa like it had earlier claimed.

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