‘Nigerian army incapable of finding kidnapped girls’
BU A Intelligence agents from all over the globe have poured into this city, Nigeria’s capital, to help find the nearly Nigerian schoolgirls abducted by the Islamist e tremist group Boko Haram more than a month ago but there has been little or no progress in bringing the young women home.
he problem, many involved in the rescue effort say, is the failings of the Nigerian military.
Indeed, there is a view among diplomats here and with their governments at home that the military is so poorly trained and armed, and so riddled with corruption, that it is not only incapable of finding the girls, but that it is losing the broader fight against Boko Haram. he group has effective control of much of the northeast of the country, as troops withdraw from vulnerable targets to avoid a fight and stay out of the group’s way, even as the militants slaughter civilians.
Boko Haram’s fighters have continued to strike with impunity this week, killing do ens of people in three villages in its regional stronghold, but also hitting far outside its base in the central region. Car bombs have killed more than , according to local press reports.
One recent night, Boko Haram fighters ambushed a patrol that had sought to leave Chibok, the town where the girls were kidnapped, killing soldiers. he ne t day, when the bodies were brought to the th ivision the main army unit taking on Boko Haram soldiers angry about the loss of their comrades opened fire on the car carrying their commanding officer, Maj. Gen. Ahmadu Mohammed, as he was heading to an armory. he commander was unharmed, and the soldiers were arrested.