Boko Haram Commander on Missing Chibok Girls: I Know Where They Are

Author: Kresta in the Afternoon Published on: February 12, 2016 Published in: Terrorism

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The more than 200 missing Chibok schoolgirls abducted in Nigeria nearly two years ago are allegedly being used as a bargaining chip by Boko Haram, according to a commander from the militant group that is waging a violent insurgency in the region. The students went missing overnight on April 15, 2014, when the Islamist group launched a midnight ambush on their school in Nigeria’s northern Borno State, and kidnapped 276 girls from their dormitories.

A vast hunt for them involving the Nigerian armed forces and support from the international community has so far yielded no results.

In an interview with VICE on HBO, a Boko Haram commander told correspondent Kaj Larsen that he knew where the Chibok school girls are being held.

“I know where they are,” said the commander, who requested anonymity.

“You want to know where they are? They are not with us. If we can get what we want, we know where they are, we will get them,” he continued.

After being asked if the girls were being used as a bargaining chip, the commander responded saying Boko Haram wants Nigeria to “commit to the teachings of Allah and the Prophet Muhammed.”