Photograph — Newsflash

Once again, Nigeria seeks foreign intervention to help salvage a tough situation. This time, the intervention is to come from the United Nations army in the form of mediation, as well as negotiating the release of the remaining 218 girls abducted in Chibok, Borno State by Boko Haram. The development was announced by President Muhammadu Buhari yesterday during a bilateral meeting with UN Secretary General Bank Ki-Moon in New York.

Foreign relations and policy dictate that governments ask for humanitarian and military assistance from both national and international bodies when necessary, such as in times of violent conflicts, economic crisis, natural disasters, and so forth. Just like any other country in the world, Nigeria is not excluded from relying on foreign intervention or interdependence to resolve a crisis. But how necessary is foreign intervention this time around?

“The challenge is getting credible and bonafide leadership of Boko Haram to discuss with”, states the president, adding that the news of division in the Boko Haram camps increasingly strains the efforts of the government. Yet, the division in question only occurred last month, for example. Other major doubts of a solid leadership among the insurgents took place at times when known leader Abubakar Shekau was rumoured to be dead. In any case, at these times, the group declared new or interim leaders.

Otherwise, the situation with the girls has been in existence since 2014, and neither the president nor his predecessor Goodluck Jonathan has managed to find the credible leadership in Boko Haram necessary to facilitate the release of the abducted girls, or generally put an end to the menace that is the group. Additionally, the presidency has yet to establish any known solid form of mediation with them.

Recently, individuals such as Barrister Aisha Wakil and Ahmed Salkida, a journalist, gained notoriety for their alarmingly close links with Boko Haram when the Nigerian military declared them wanted. In various press accounts since then, Wakil has claimed that the relationship between her and “the children” (who call her “mummy”) existed before the group gained prominence. As a matter of fact, since the now members of Boko Haram were born, she has, slept, eaten, and prayed with them.

The barrister who also works closely with the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) also gave details of different times negotiations were attempted, the half-hearted processes those attempts endured before they fell through, and the role that individuals such as herself and the government played. The Nigerian government must surely believe that Aisha Wakil can reach the insurgents in ways that they can’t, otherwise, they would not have declared her wanted.

Thus, rather than ignore people like Wakil in strategising negotiations, or hanging them out to dry despite their very crucial connections to the terrorists, why not take advantage of it? Actually, why hasn’t that happened before now?

What does negotiation entail, and which party has better chances with Boko Haram?

Negotiation is commonly referred to as an ‘art’ by those well versed in the fields of diplomacy, strategy, and business. It involves using masterful dialogue to achieve mutually beneficial results. If “Mummy” Wakil has told us nothing but the truth about her background and relationship with her “sons”, then she must have perfected the art of negotiation. But, for some unclear reason, President Buhari does not seem to find her worthy enough to mediate with Boko Haram.

If it came down to a negotiation based on familiarity or merit, it is imagined that the insurgents would rather speak with a Wakil than with a UN representative. Particularly since word around town is that the global attention that the girls’ abduction received in the first place is the reason why they were reduced to such [crucial] bargaining chips.

Without a doubt, the UN is a world-class qualified and certified body when it comes to matters involving negotiation, and their selfless commitment towards conflict and crisis resolutions is more than respected globally. However, it is a bit difficult to conclude that lack of an intervention from the organisation and others like it is the reason for the delay in securing the release of the girls.

Nigeria certainly needs all the help that in can get in its bid to resolve the two-years-and-four-month old “Chibok Girls” saga, while also bearing in mind that Boko Haram has abducted over 5,000 people in total which equally demands attention. But is it possible that sometimes, maybe intervention can be achieved from within?

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