Kidnapped schoolgirls: Visit parents, expert tells Jonathan

Preventive Counter Terrorism Consultant, Temitope Olodo, has said it is necessary for President Goodluck Jonathan to visit the North-East and talk to parents of the 234 schoolgirls abducted by insurgents.



Olodo, who worked in The Office for Security and Counter Terrorism of in Britain, said there was the need for the President and Nigerians to have a better understanding of the damage insurgents have caused to the country.

In an online interview with our correspondent on Friday, the United Kingdom-based security expert said it was equally important to understand the impact of kidnapping on the country’s image.

He said, “If I was to advise President Goodluck Ebele Jonathan and the Service Chiefs on this issue, I would have cleared Mr. President’s diary and flew him secretly to the area so that he can appreciate the immense task Nigeria’s security agencies are facing.

“I will advise that we instruct the National Emergency Management Agency or any government agency responsible to book a hotel in the Borno State capital (Maiduguri) and lodge all the families of the missing girls, so that they can get collective official information and the necessary medical support during this traumatic period.

“Mr. President needs to speak to the family of the missing girls in a secured closed-door phone conference call or on Skype to the hotel, reassuring them that he has directed the might of the Federal Government of Nigeria into this incident.

“He is the father of all Nigerians, rich or poor, Muslim or Christian, regardless of their ethnicity. All national assignments could be stopped or put on hold for just 30 minutes for him to speak to them (the affected families).”

The British-trained anti-terrorism expert said it was surprising that Nigerian security agencies were caught unguarded during the attacks on the schools. He stated that all security risks would have been mapped out and mitigated against, if there were effective security policymakers.

The former British police officer described the country’s security agencies as “fire-fighting security services.”

He added, “Based on intelligence, it is clear that the abductors had few hours or even few days advantage and it is only reasonable to suggest that the search methodology adopted should be amended to reflect the reality on the ground.

“In a proper organised setting, an incident room will be set up in the area, which will be co-ordinating all the search process across the area of focus, but we do things differently.

“There are equipment that allow search of this nature to be narrowed down and I have yet to hear about airplanes or helicopters taking pictures for forensic analysis to hasten the recovery of the abducted girls.”

Olodo asked why the names and photographs of the kidnap victims had not been made public to get the community actively involved in the rescue process.

Olodo stated that the kidnappers, suspected to be members of the Boko Haram, were targeting children and women to create an atmosphere of fear.

He said, “Terrorism, targets non-combatants, especially men, women and children, with the sole aim of spreading fear. Going after women and children is a terrorist technique to weaken the will of the nation. And if the government does not manage the situation properly, they can face community black lash.

“Terrorist attacks, specifically targeting children over other non-combatants, are uncommon and only done when insurgents are losing the war.”