TheCable

Lai Mohammed, minister of information and culture, says Camp Zairo is to Boko Haram what Aso Rock means to Nigeria.

Mohammed said this at the Air Force Base in Yola, Adamawa state capital, during a briefing to conclude a day and night rounds of search of the missing girls in Sambisa.

Mansur Dan-Alli, minister of defence; Obiageli Ezekwesili, convener of the Bring Back Our Girls (BBOG) group; as well as selected local and foreign journalists participated in the search mission.

Mohammed noted that the capture of the camp was very crucial to defeating members of the sect.

“Camp Zairo might occupy probably one kilometre out of 60,000 kilometres expanse of Sambisa, but it is so crucial to us in this war,” he said.

“It is like imagining that there is a war and the Villa is captured. That is the essence of camp zairo.

“It is not the extent of physical expanse but that we struck at the very heart of insurgency and it does not mean the end of the campaign in Sambisa forest.”

Mohammed said the success recorded by the military in the theatre of war was helping to negotiate release of the remaining Chibok girls in captivity.

He recalled that a recently-held meeting nearly led to success, adding that the government would not rest on its oars in ensuring the return of all the missing girls and others in captivity.

“The negotiations are still on, but unfortunately unlike the search operations, we cannot take you along to the negotiation table,” he said.

“I want to assure you that these negotiations are going on but they are very complicated and delicate and shift from time to time.”