TheCable

Nigeria’s security agencies are hoping to cash in on the fast-approaching month of Ramadan to secure the release of the kidnapped schoolgirls.

Over 300 girls were kidnapped from Government Girls Secondary School, Chibok, Borno State, on April 14/15.

While some have either escaped or been released, 219 are still in captivity, according to a presidential fact-finding committee.

Ramadan, expected to start by June 28, is the holiest month in Islamic calendar during which all Muslims are expected to be sober and exhibit more religious piety.

In the last five years since the Boko Haram insurgency entered the bombing phase, the militants ─ who say they want to turn Nigeria into an Islamic republic ─ have hardly struck during Ramadan.

“We know the location of the girls. That is not the problem. The real issue is if we carry out any military operation to rescue them, it would be tragic,” a senior military officer told TheCable on Monday.

He said the Ramadan period offers a “rare opportunity” to secure the release of the girls who were abducted while writing their final exams.

The source did not expatiate on how the government hopes to use the Ramadan window to get the girls released ─ the official position is that there will be no negotiation with terrorists ─ but he hinted at some concessions being granted to the third party negotiators.