Nigeria Army declares journalist and 2 others wanted over latest Boko Haram video

The Nigerian army has declared as wanted, a journalist with close links to Boko Haram. Ahmed Salkida is being sought along with one Ahmed U. Bolori and Aisha Wakil to assist with the Army’s investigation into the whereabouts of the Chibok girls.

The Army in a statement said, they had appealed to Nigerians to volunteer information to enable them rescue the Chibok girls, ‘‘two recent incidents have pointed to the fact that, there are three individuals namely; Ahmed Salkida, (Ambassador) Ahmed U. Bolori and Aisha Wakil that have information on the conditions and the exact location of these girls,’‘ the statement noted.

This development comes hours after Boko Haram released its latest video parading a cross section of the Chibok girls and making demands to their parents and the federal government on conditions to secure their release.

We are relying on the relevant laws of the land and in particular the Terrorism Prevention Act 2011 (as amended).

The Army stated that the three individuals no doubt had contacts with the group and were bound by law to assist the Army in its work.

‘‘We are relying on the relevant laws of the land and in particular the Terrorism Prevention Act 2011 (as amended) where Nigerians could be punished for failure to disclose information about terrorists or terrorists activities,’‘ the statement added.

Boko Haram’s main request in the latest video is a call on the parents of the Chibok girls to pile pressure on the government to release their brothers held in detention across the country so that they would also release the much sought after girls.

The group have engaged in several abductions throughout Nigeria’s northeastern region including the 276 Chibok schoolgirls in April 2014. The group also claimed responsibility for attacks on the United Nations Office in the administrative capital, Abuja in 2011.

Their activities have also extended beyond Nigeria and into neighbouring countries in the Lake Chad region. Niger, Cameroon’s far north region and Chad have all suffered the effects of the insurgency.