President Goodluck
Jonathan of Nigeria had a direct link of communication with Boko Haram, the
dreaded terrorist group, judging by the release of a secret video tape urging
him to swap Boko Haram prisoners for the abducted girls ta.ken from Government
Secondary School in Chibok, Borno state.
The video was allegedly
handed to Jonathan's office by an intermediary who reportedly started a
dialogue with the group two weeks ago. The go-between, a Nigerian journalist,
got the video as a means of proving earlier claims that the president has
genuine communication access to Boko Haram's leaders.
Boko Haram had boasted
in the past of having such communication links to Aso Rock. this claim had been
vigorously denied by presidency officials.
Meanwhile, the proposed
prisoner swap was abandoned after Western governments pressurised Jonathan not
to negotiate the deal.
Had the deal gone
through, it would have led to the release of 50 of the kidnapped girls released
for an equivalent number of Boko Haram fighters. Earlier, the Nigerian
government denied the existence of a negotiation deal. So far, it neither
confirmed nor denied the existence of the video.
Reports of the video's
existence surfaced as Nigeria's Chief of Defence Staff claimed the military now
knew where the girls were located. Speaking on Monday, Staff Air Marshal Alex
Badeh, described it as "good news for the parents" but said that the
military would not risk "going there with force".
