Nigerian defence chief: we won't use force to rescue kidnapped girls

It has been confirmed that the kidnapped schoolgirls have been located but there are fears that using force to try to free them could get them killed.

13:15 27 May 2014

Air Marshal Alex Badeh, Nigeria’s chief of defence, has confirmed that they have located nearly 300 schoolgirls that were kidnapped by Islamic extremists six weeks ago. Although he gave an assurance that they will get the girls back, he said that using force to rescue them might get them killed. 

 

Addressing demonstrators who marched to the Defence Ministry headquarters in the capital city of Abuja, he said: "The good news for the girls is that we know where they are but we cannot tell you. We cannot come and tell you military secrets. Just leave us alone, we are working, we will get the girls back.” He added that troops could not go in and “kill our girls in the name of trying to get them back.” 

 

Nigeria’s government has been subjected to national and international outrage over their failure to rescue the girls that were kidnapped by Boko Haram militants from a remote north-eastern school six weeks ago. This month, President Goodluck Jonathan was forced to accept international help to remedy the situation.