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UK releases minutes of meetings held with Nigerian government over Chibok Girls abduction

The United Kingdom government has released series of documents that reveal the meetings and actions taken by ex-President Goodluck Jonathan administration during the abduction of about 300 Chibok girls by Boko Haram terrorists.

On the night of 14 – 15 of April 2016, about 247 female students of Chibok community secondary school and neighbouring secondary schools waiting to write their final exams were abducted by Boko Haram terrorists, an extremist group known for its hatred for western education.

The government of the time under the administration of Goodluck Ebele Jonathan was accused of dragging its feet and doing little to none in rescuing the girls from their abduction.

UK releases minutes of meetings held with Nigerian government over Chibok Girls abduction

Almost three years after the abduction of the girls, the United Kingdom government has however released documents that show the actions of the Nigerian government towards recovering the girls.

The documents reveals minutes of the meetings held between May 2014 and October 2014 by the Foreign & Common Wealth representatives and the Nigerian government officials under the administration of Goodluck Jonathan over the abduction of over two hundred school girls from Chibok community, Borno states by Boko Haram terrorists.

The document also reveals what was discussed between Nigerian government officials and the Africa minister at the time, Mark Simmonds in series of meetings held from May 2014 to August 2014 over the abduction of the Chibok girls.

In one of the minutes of the meetings, ex-President Jonathan reportedly met the UK officials alone and discussed with Major Gen. James Chiswell on how the military troops combating the Boko Haram terrorists could be properly trained.

Gen. Chiswell reportedly told Jonathan that: “We could offer the advice on what equipment might make sense and how weapon system might be best deployed.”

The conclusion at that meeting was that in time, with the combination of training, strategic advice from UK and a better relationship between Nigeria and neighbouring countries, Boko Haram could be pressured into serious dialogue.

The documents however reveals that at some point, the Nigerian government officials were less optimistic that the Chibok Girls would be found but they were bent on finding a closure to the Chibok case before the 2015 presidential election.