Posted on: 03:18 Fri, 30 May 2014


Former President Olusegun Obasanjo yesterday confirmed his intervention in the abduction of the Chibok school girls.

He however said he cannot wade in unless he gets the green light from President Goodluck Jonathan. He spoke in an interview aired last night on Channels television.

Kaduna-based human rights activist Shehu Sani during the week confirmed that he attended a meeting convened by the ex-President inAbeokuta.

Obasanjo told Channels he was “surprised at how certain meetings have turned out”.

“I cannot have a plan without the Presidency being involved”, he added, debunking claimsthat he was “going on a one man mission”. He insisted that it would be “idiotic” for him to have done so.

He noted that he was beaten by Sani to letting the state and national authorities know the meeting had taken place and admitted that he owed the government an apology.

“I have to involve the President and he also
tells me this is what we are doing or this is
what we are pursuing either in addition or
along with what we are doing or not,” he said.

On the allegation that the abduction of the girls was orchestrated to bring down the President Goodluck Jonathan’s government Obasanjo said: “If the Presidency is obsessed with one thing and one thing only and any other thing of concern to Nigeria is secondary, then the Presidency will take that position” which he said “will be unfortunate”.

Obasanjo said “Boko Haram (sect) has been in existence for years…they didn’t disturb my government because when I was in government I did not disturb their Sharia.” He declared:
“Sharia is part of our constitution.”

Speaking on the statement by Chief of Defence Staff Air Marshal Alex Bardeh that where the abducted girls are being kept had been found,Obasanjo urged the military not to engage in public relations stunts with the issue.

He said:”This is not an issue that you will play Public Relations propaganda with. It is a serious issue that is like a spear in the heart of the parents and whatever statement we make and action we take, if it will not really deal with the issue in a way that will bring those girls out safeand secure and make their families happy and
will also give every Nigerian a sense of security,then such statements should not be made.”.

He added that the American forces have the
means to confirm or debunk the statement
made by the CDS but remarked, “I will be
pleasantly surprised if those girls are returned intact.”