Former Chief Security Officer to the late head of state, Major Hamza Al-Mustapha (rtd), has initiated the process of freedom for abducted Christian girl, Leah Sharibu, as well as the remaining Chibok school giirls in captivity for five years.
It was gathered that Al-Mustapha, in concert with some unnamed serving and retired military officers, has opened a line of communication with Islamic State in the West African Province (ISWAP) and Boko Haram with a view to negotiating the release of the girls.
Boko Haram fighters stormed the Government Secondary School Chibok in Borno State five years ago to abduct over 200 female students of the school. In another dare-devilry, the insurgents stormed the Government Girls Scienceand Technical College in Dapchi, Yobe State, 14 months ago, taking away Leah Shuaibu and over a hundred of her mates.
While over 100 of the Dapchi girls were released, Leah was kept back because she would not renounce her Christian faith.
The current efforts by Al-Mustapha followed a recent call by the umbrella body of some pro-Buhari groups, Buhari Integrity Support Group (BIG) and Standing Up for Integrity (SUFI) on the President to consider bringing on board his administration Major Hamza Al-Mustapha (rtd) and other retired military officers in order to boost his government’s current fight against insurgency and insecurity in some parts of the country.
It was learnt that Al-Mustapha and others were already having an in-road in getting Shuaibu and the other Chibok girls set free by Boko Haram.
The BIG and SUFI had noted during their meeting in Abuja last Thursday that making the likes of Al-Mustapha and other retired and serving military officers part of the country’s security architecture in the next dispensation would enable the Buhari administration to come up with new ideas aimed at addressing the various security challenges and even assist the government in securing the release of Shuaibu and the remaining Chibok school girls from the hold of Boko Haram.
The National Coordinator of the BIG, Mr. Sampson Anyebe, who spoke on behalf of the other members of the groups at a news conference in Abuja, had argued that Nigeria did not lack capable persons and experts who had what would be required to stop the country’s descent into anarchy and chaos.
Anyebe had also noted that the country and the government only needed to give such capable Nigerians the opportunity to offer their services and expertise to the nation in the best way and capacity they could.
The pro-Buhari groups had further expressed confidence that Al-Mustapha and other retired military officers had the relevant experience and the capability to assist the country in effectively tackling the current insecurity and bringing the unfortunate development to an end.
The groups had also claimed that Al-Mustapha was instrumental to the release of the Islamic clerics and prayer warriors, who were abducted recently, but released few days later without the payment of any ransom.
When contacted, the BIG national coordinator, confirmed that Al-Mustapha had begun efforts to rescue the girls from the Boko Haram.
His words, “Yes, since we made that call we’ve discovered that Al-Mustapha himself had been making serious efforts, in collaboration with some other people, to secure the girls’ release.
“I’m sure that the family and relations of Leah Shuaibu and the other Chibok school girls will soon have all the cause to laugh and rejoice.”
Al-Mustapha was not available for comments, neither picking his calls, nor replying to text messages.