With four days left to commemorate the two-year anniversary of the abducted Chibok girls, a controversy has emerged surrounding the terror group responsible for the tragedy – Boko Haram – and the Nigerian government. According to reports, Boko Haram has offered to release the girls to the Nigerian government in exchange for a N50 million ransom, launching a debate within the government over whether or not the group should be indulged.

Other reports disagree over the exact amount of money the terror group is purportedly demanding, with some putting it at N56 million and others citing a N10 billion ransom. Also, an unnamed source claims that Boko Haram made the offer through its secret contacts with the government.

However, the Nigerian government, through the Ministry for Information and Culture, has denied the credibility of the aforementioned development, stating that the current dubious situation is not the first of its kind and thus the government will not be making an official comment on the matter anytime soon. Minister Lai Mohammed further stated that, as always, the government will strive to verify the credibility of the source as it continues to seek ways to secure the release of the Chibok girls.

While this latest debate over a ransom for the Chibok girls may not be valid, it is important to note that the Nigerian government has found itself in a similar situation, with the possibility of negotiating with Boko Haram in 2014 and 2015, but with no credible outcome. In September 2014, Boko Haram released a video where its leader, Abubakar Shekau, swore that the girls will never be seen again if the government refused to trade them for Boko Haram members in its custody. In July of the following year, negotiations were reopened but both times, a deal could not be reached because the Islamic terror group apparently planned to release only a handful of the girls in exchange for their “brothers” which the government could not agree to.

This raises the question concerning whether the Nigerian government should attempt a different form of negotiation with Boko Haram, since the present administration is open to the idea, or abandon this strategy altogether, especially with the knowledge that negotiating with terrorists is usually very tricky. Also, the length of time that has passed since the girls were taken, coupled with the physical and psychological state they would most likely be returned in, is a cause for worry.

Also, there is the issue of indirectly – or directly – financing the terror group by paying a ransom to get the girls back, particularly if the group is as flustered and desperate as is depicted in the news.

Most of the recent news about Boko Haram in Nigeria involves the country’s army counting its victories over the group. Today, however, the government is yet to ascertain the location of the girls who went missing almost two years ago, while the dangerous sect remains a threat to citizens.

Another likely question is if all of the speculation is just media frenzy, which analysts argue led the girls to become a major asset to Boko Haram in the first place, and yet another opportunity taken by the Nigerian government to defend itself in preparation for the potential bashing it is set to receive over the missing Chibok girls come April 14, 2016.

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