Ahmad Salkida, the Nigerian journalist with the deepest knowledge of the workings of Boko Haram, says only 15 of the missing 113 Chibok girls are still alive.
In a series of tweets on Saturday to commemorate the fourth year of the Chibok abduction, Salkida said his investigations in the last three months revealed that majority of the girls are dead.
“Many of the girls have died as a result of cross fires and bombardments of the security forces that no doubt were intent on rescuing them,” he said
“I regret to state here that only 15 out of the 113 #Chibokgirls are alive today, based on my investigations in the last 3 months and we have already seen some of them in a video, which I exclusively obtained and was published on SR website.
“What is the status of the remaining 15 girls as far as negotiations are concerned? My investigations also revealed that, they are no longer under the control of #AbubakarShekau. According to sources, they are now ‘married’ and only their ‘husbands’ can decide their fates.
“It will be unbearable to share the names of the 15 that are alive here; this is the responsibility of Govt. When I was involved I regularly provided proof of life. Govt must demand that to prove me wrong or stop negotiating for many of the girls that don’t exists.”
15/ Today, my painstaking investigations on the #Chibokschoolgirls revealed that just a handful of the 113 #ChibokGirls are alive. Many of the girls have died as a result of cross fires and bombardments of the security forces that no doubt were intent on rescuing them.
— Ahmad Salkida (@ContactSalkida) April 14, 2018
16/ I regret to state here that only 15 out of the 113 #Chibokgirls are alive today, based on my investigations in the last 3 months and we have already seen some of them in a video, which I exclusively obtained and was published on SR website.
— Ahmad Salkida (@ContactSalkida) April 14, 2018
17/ What is the status of the remaining 15 girls as far as negotiations are concerned? My investigations also revealed that, they are no longer under the control of #AbubakarShekau. According to sources, they are now ‘married’ and only their ‘husbands’ can decide their fates.
— Ahmad Salkida (@ContactSalkida) April 14, 2018
18/ If they are divorced or the men are killed that is when Shekau’s decision takes precedence, and in this instance, since the girls have been indoctrinated, their leader has no right to negotiate for their release, no matter the ransom offered, reliable multiple sources said.
— Ahmad Salkida (@ContactSalkida) April 14, 2018
19/ It will be unbearable to share the names of the 15 that are alive here, this is the responsibility of Govt. When I was involved I regularly provided proof of life. Govt must demand that to prove me wrong or stop negotiating for many of the girls that don’t exists… ????
— Ahmad Salkida (@ContactSalkida) April 14, 2018
More to follow…