PDP knocks prisoner swap for 82 Chibok girls, as PPA chieftain lauds FG

The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) on Sunday hailed the release of 82 abducted Chibok school girls on Saturday, but expressed concern over the “price” reportedly paid for their freedom.

This is even as a chieftain of the a chieftain of Progressives Peoples Alliance (PPA), in Enugu State, Mr Godwin Ezeemo, lauded President Muhammadu Buhari, Red Cross and Non-Governmental Agencies for the release of 82 Chibok Girls.

In a statement by the National Publicity Secretary of the National Caretaker Committee of the PDP, Prince Dayo Adeyeye, in Abuja, it said that the capture of the girls by insurgents in 2014 traumatised the entire nation.

According to it, the abduction and detention of the girls in the last three years had brought extreme pain and suffering to their families, the country and people of goodwill across the world.

“What is however, of great concern is the price paid to secure the release of the girls.
“According to reports, the girls were released in exchange for the release of suspected Boko Haram terrorists being held by the government.

“If that is the case, we say it’s a heavy price to pay and an unusual one at that,” the party stated.

It said that it did not think that exchanging the innocent girls for hardened criminals like the terrorists was the right approach.

It pointed out that the implication of the “exchange’’ was the released had escaped justice.
“By releasing the arrested terrorists, all the efforts made by security agencies to bring them to book have come to nothing and a setback for the paid for their freedom.

“Their release is tantamount to releasing terrorists to resume their war against society.
“Many of them can find their ways back to the terrorists’ camps from where they can unleash terror against the country.

“Others who are allowed to roam freely in society can become veritable recruiting agents and purveyors of suicide bombing and urban terrorism.”

It believed that with such exchange, the Boko Haram terrorists had been emboldened to continue their terror and kidnapping of innocent people.

According to the PDP, the terrorists will continue with their tactics believing that they can always use it to blackmail the government to release their members and to extract other concessions.

It stressed that the piece-meal release of the girls meant that the terrorists wanted to extract more concessions from the government and at the end, prolong the insurgency.
“The release of the girls will increase the agony and high expectancy of the remaining girls still in custody of the terrorists and their families who will be wondering why they have not been as lucky.

“It therefore would have been better to ensure the release of all the girls at once.”
It said that negotiations were in clear violation of generally accepted international principle of “never negotiate with terrorists”.

It stated that the international principle was sound and logical because negotiation with the terrorists only fueled their urge to continue with their heinous crimes.

“However, we recognise the concern of President Muhammadu Buhari to ensure the earliest release of the Chibok girls for domestic and international considerations.

“Equally, we are very concerned about the safe return of the girls to their families at the earliest possible time, and will continue to disagree that negotiating with the terrorists is the right approach to achieving the objective.

“Meanwhile, we rejoice with the girls and their families and hope that their remaining colleagues will join them in freedom in no distant future.”

Also speaking on the release, Ezeemo, told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Enugu on Sunday, that the release would help to check the emotional trauma the parents of the released girls might be facing for over three years.

NAN reports that Boko Haram members in 2014 abducted more than 200 secondary school girls of Government Girls’ Secondary School, Chibok, Borno.

Twenty one of the girls were released in October 2016, while President Muhammadu Buhari directed the security agencies to continue the search until all of the affected girls were released and re-united with their families.

Ezeemo noted that the release of this “massive number’’ was an indication that the Federal Government and its partners had the capacity to release the remaining girls.

“I am overwhelmed with joy when I heard about the news. It is a good development, coming timely, before emotional trauma sends the parents of these girls to their early graves.
“It is going to bring a lot of emotional and traumatic relief to these families that had

anticipated the return of their daughters,’’ he said.
According to him, the release will also give Nigeria commendable respect in the international circle, once more.

Ezeemo, also a leading industrialist, commended the government of Switzerland for its “special interest in ensuring a fruitful negotiation with the insurgents.’’
“I urge other countries and friends of Nigeria to follow the example of the government of Switzerland in helping Nigeria, practically, in solving its national challenges.