“Sign Of Goodwill”: Boko Haram Releases Corps Member Kidnapped To Borno State Government

A corps member, Halima Uwani Umar, in January 2019 by Boko Haram in the North-east, has been freed, says the Borno State government.

“The insurgents released Ms. Umar as a sign of goodwill to commit to a new process of resolving the conflicts in the region. The state government, the military, the DSS played vital roles in deploying professional field experience and strategic cover for the process.

“The state government shall continually bring the media up to speed as may be necessary,” a statement today by the government explained.

“We, as a government, are committed to working with the Federal organs of security as well as non-governmental organizations and well-meaning citizens to pursue with vigour the safe return of captives, displaced persons and vulnerable population of our great state.”

Her freedom, the government pointed out, came as a result of a joint coordinated engagement involving key stakeholders.

“It is an outcome,” said the statement, “of a preliminary level negotiation involving the state government, the Kalthium Foundation for Peace, a non-governmental organization with intermediatory negotiation with the leadership of the terror group handled by a prominent investigative journalist with critical access.”

The state government stated that the step was in line with its desire to work with strategic partners to open lines of communication with the insurgents as a means of freeing several non-combatant captives of the terror groups.

It said: “The strategic interventionist team was empaneled to use every necessary tools and good spirited individuals to engage the insurgents in non-combatant ways as a means of de-escalation framework that will eventually result in freeing more captives and safe return of displaced persons in the state.

“The state government shall continually bring the media up to speed as may be necessary.”