Africa News
U.S. Planes Searching for Boko Haram Abductees Spot Girls in Nigeria
Groups Were Seen Together in Remote Locations, Raising Hopes They are Kidnapped Students
By
Drew Hinshaw in Gombe, Nigeria, and Dion Nissenbaum in Washington
Updated Aug. 5, 2014 3:11 p.m. ET



http://live.wsj.com/video/us-plane-may-have-spotted-girls-boko-haram-abducted/6E615633-E587-4E2C-A00E-02A8421B0D29.html

<iframe frameborder="0" scrolling="no" width="512" height="288" src="http://live.wsj.com/public/page/embed-6E615633_E587_4E2C_A00E_02A8421B0D29.html"></iframe>


Recent U.S. surveillance flights over northeastern Nigeria showed what appeared to be large groups of girls held together in remote locations, raising hopes among domestic and foreign officials that they are among the group that Boko Haram abducted from a boarding school in April, U.S. and Nigerian officials said.
The surveillance suggests that at least some of the 219 schoolgirls still held captive haven't been forced into marriage or sex slavery, as had been feared, but instead are being used as bargaining chips for the release of prisoners.
The U.S. aerial imagery matches what Nigerian officials say they hear from northern Nigerians who have interacted with the Islamist insurgency: that some of Boko Haram's most famous set of captives are getting special treatment, compared with the hundreds of other girls the group is suspected to have kidnapped. Boko Haram appears to have seen the schoolgirls as of higher value, given the global attention paid to their plight, those officials said.
Nigerian President Goodluck Jonathan, who faces re-election in February, is under political pressure to secure the girls' release, with some people urging him to agree to a prisoner swap.
His government has ruled out a rescue operation, saying it is unwilling to risk the girls' lives, or a prisoner swap.

Rachel Daniel, 35 years old, held up a picture of her abducted daughter Rose Daniel, 17, as her son Bukar, 7, sat beside her at her home in Maiduguri, Nigeria, in May. Reuters
"We don't exchange innocent people for criminals. That is not in the cards," said Mr. Jonathan's spokesman, Reuben Abati, last week in an interview.
In early July, U.S. surveillance flights over northeastern Nigeria spotted a group of 60 to 70 girls held in an open field, said two U.S. defense officials. Late last month, they spotted a set of roughly 40 girls in a different field.
When surveillance flights returned, both sets of girls had been moved. U.S. intelligence analysts say they don't have enough information to confirm whether the two groups of girls they saw are the same, they said.
They also can't say whether those groups included any of the girls the group has held since April. But U.S. and Nigerian officials said they believe they are indeed those schoolgirls.
"It's unusual to find a large group of young women like that in an open space," said one U.S. defense official. "We're assuming they're not a rock band of hippies out there camping."
A wave of intermediaries acting on their own has tried to negotiate the girls' release, Mr. Abati said, adding that the president has neither authorized nor discouraged those efforts.
Several of those intermediaries have said Boko Haram's leader, Abubakar Shekau, has ordered his fighters to treat the girls as valuable hostages—not sex slaves—one senior Nigerian security adviser said.
"He gave a directive that anybody found touching any of the girls should be killed immediately," the adviser said. "If true, it is cheering."

A student who escaped after Boko Haram's mass abduction identified some schoolmates in May from a video the Islamist insurgents released. Reuters
It would also show that Boko Haram is trying to follow an al Qaeda tactic of swapping hostages for money and political gain.
The group is accelerating its kidnapping of foreigners and politicians: Over the past two months, it has been blamed for abducting a German expatriate, 10 Chinese laborers in nearby Cameroon and the wife of Cameroon's deputy prime minister.
Boko Haram has used hostages in the past to demand the exchange of its prisoners held in both Nigeria and Cameroon, which was one of the conditions for the release of a French family from captivity last year.
Now, the group appears to be testing the bargaining power of a group of girls who had been ordinary teenagers at a school—until their abduction on the night of April 14. That night, fighters with the Islamist insurgency—which is opposed to modern education— stormed a boarding school and drove 276 girls away hours before their final exams. Fifty-seven later escaped.
The captivity of the rest became a cause célèbre, prompting a Twitter campaign, #BringBackOurGirls, that was joined by notable figures including Michelle Obama and Hillary Clinton. It also spurred Boko Haram's latest effort to get its captives released from crowded Nigerian prisons—a long-standing grievance. Three months after seizing the girls, Boko Haram's leader, Mr. Shekau, appeared in a video demanding a prisoner exchange. "You are saying bring back our girls," thundered the bearded gunman, before firing his AK-47 into the air. "We are saying bring back our men!"
Dozens of demonstrators still gather in the capital each day to press for the girls' freedom.
Their rallies have become a referendum on whether Nigerian women—particularly poor, young, Muslim girls—are valued by a government of mostly wealthy, elderly, Christian men.
Mr. Abati said Mr. Jonathan has worked tirelessly to win the girls' freedom.
It isn't clear how many of the girls Boko Haram can deliver. A former Nigerian president, Olusegun Obasanjo, who has a history of contact with the group, has said some of the girls are likely dead or pregnant. Only about 130 of them—out of 219 missing— appeared in the sole video of the girls that Boko Haram has ever provided.
Meanwhile, the international effort to find the girls has waned: The U.S. military is now carrying out just one surveillance flight a day, mostly by manned aircraft, totaling only 35 to 40 hours a week, said U.S. defense officials, as drones have been shifted back toward other operations.
Some accounts suggest the burden of providing for scores of girls has become a point of dissension in Boko Haram's ranks.
In July, four girls and women aged 16 to 22 hid in their bedrooms as Boko Haram fighters broke into their home in the town of Damboa, they each said in an interview last week. They feared they would be kidnapped.
When their aunt, Fatima Abba, argued on their behalf, the roughly 20 Boko Haram insurgents decided not to kidnap them—and instead began to complain about the scores of schoolgirls they already have.
"They are always crying. They behave like children," Ms. Abba quoted the Boko Haram fighters as saying of the schoolgirls. "We don't want them around."

Africa News
U.S. Planes Searching for Boko Haram Abductees Spot Girls in Nigeria
Groups Were Seen Together in Remote Locations, Raising Hopes They are Kidnapped Students
By
Drew Hinshaw in Gombe, Nigeria, and Dion Nissenbaum in Washington
Updated Aug. 5, 2014 3:11 p.m. ET



http://live.wsj.com/video/us-plane-may-have-spotted-girls-boko-haram-abducted/6E615633-E587-4E2C-A00E-02A8421B0D29.html

<iframe frameborder="0" scrolling="no" width="512" height="288" src="http://live.wsj.com/public/page/embed-6E615633_E587_4E2C_A00E_02A8421B0D29.html"></iframe>


Recent U.S. surveillance flights over northeastern Nigeria showed what appeared to be large groups of girls held together in remote locations, raising hopes among domestic and foreign officials that they are among the group that Boko Haram abducted from a boarding school in April, U.S. and Nigerian officials said.
The surveillance suggests that at least some of the 219 schoolgirls still held captive haven't been forced into marriage or sex slavery, as had been feared, but instead are being used as bargaining chips for the release of prisoners.
The U.S. aerial imagery matches what Nigerian officials say they hear from northern Nigerians who have interacted with the Islamist insurgency: that some of Boko Haram's most famous set of captives are getting special treatment, compared with the hundreds of other girls the group is suspected to have kidnapped. Boko Haram appears to have seen the schoolgirls as of higher value, given the global attention paid to their plight, those officials said.
Nigerian President Goodluck Jonathan, who faces re-election in February, is under political pressure to secure the girls' release, with some people urging him to agree to a prisoner swap.
His government has ruled out a rescue operation, saying it is unwilling to risk the girls' lives, or a prisoner swap.

Rachel Daniel, 35 years old, held up a picture of her abducted daughter Rose Daniel, 17, as her son Bukar, 7, sat beside her at her home in Maiduguri, Nigeria, in May. Reuters
"We don't exchange innocent people for criminals. That is not in the cards," said Mr. Jonathan's spokesman, Reuben Abati, last week in an interview.
In early July, U.S. surveillance flights over northeastern Nigeria spotted a group of 60 to 70 girls held in an open field, said two U.S. defense officials. Late last month, they spotted a set of roughly 40 girls in a different field.
When surveillance flights returned, both sets of girls had been moved. U.S. intelligence analysts say they don't have enough information to confirm whether the two groups of girls they saw are the same, they said.
They also can't say whether those groups included any of the girls the group has held since April. But U.S. and Nigerian officials said they believe they are indeed those schoolgirls.
"It's unusual to find a large group of young women like that in an open space," said one U.S. defense official. "We're assuming they're not a rock band of hippies out there camping."
A wave of intermediaries acting on their own has tried to negotiate the girls' release, Mr. Abati said, adding that the president has neither authorized nor discouraged those efforts.
Several of those intermediaries have said Boko Haram's leader, Abubakar Shekau, has ordered his fighters to treat the girls as valuable hostages—not sex slaves—one senior Nigerian security adviser said.
"He gave a directive that anybody found touching any of the girls should be killed immediately," the adviser said. "If true, it is cheering."

A student who escaped after Boko Haram's mass abduction identified some schoolmates in May from a video the Islamist insurgents released. Reuters
It would also show that Boko Haram is trying to follow an al Qaeda tactic of swapping hostages for money and political gain.
The group is accelerating its kidnapping of foreigners and politicians: Over the past two months, it has been blamed for abducting a German expatriate, 10 Chinese laborers in nearby Cameroon and the wife of Cameroon's deputy prime minister.
Boko Haram has used hostages in the past to demand the exchange of its prisoners held in both Nigeria and Cameroon, which was one of the conditions for the release of a French family from captivity last year.
Now, the group appears to be testing the bargaining power of a group of girls who had been ordinary teenagers at a school—until their abduction on the night of April 14. That night, fighters with the Islamist insurgency—which is opposed to modern education— stormed a boarding school and drove 276 girls away hours before their final exams. Fifty-seven later escaped.
The captivity of the rest became a cause célèbre, prompting a Twitter campaign, #BringBackOurGirls, that was joined by notable figures including Michelle Obama and Hillary Clinton. It also spurred Boko Haram's latest effort to get its captives released from crowded Nigerian prisons—a long-standing grievance. Three months after seizing the girls, Boko Haram's leader, Mr. Shekau, appeared in a video demanding a prisoner exchange. "You are saying bring back our girls," thundered the bearded gunman, before firing his AK-47 into the air. "We are saying bring back our men!"
Dozens of demonstrators still gather in the capital each day to press for the girls' freedom.
Their rallies have become a referendum on whether Nigerian women—particularly poor, young, Muslim girls—are valued by a government of mostly wealthy, elderly, Christian men.
Mr. Abati said Mr. Jonathan has worked tirelessly to win the girls' freedom.
It isn't clear how many of the girls Boko Haram can deliver. A former Nigerian president, Olusegun Obasanjo, who has a history of contact with the group, has said some of the girls are likely dead or pregnant. Only about 130 of them—out of 219 missing— appeared in the sole video of the girls that Boko Haram has ever provided.
Meanwhile, the international effort to find the girls has waned: The U.S. military is now carrying out just one surveillance flight a day, mostly by manned aircraft, totaling only 35 to 40 hours a week, said U.S. defense officials, as drones have been shifted back toward other operations.
Some accounts suggest the burden of providing for scores of girls has become a point of dissension in Boko Haram's ranks.
In July, four girls and women aged 16 to 22 hid in their bedrooms as Boko Haram fighters broke into their home in the town of Damboa, they each said in an interview last week. They feared they would be kidnapped.
When their aunt, Fatima Abba, argued on their behalf, the roughly 20 Boko Haram insurgents decided not to kidnap them—and instead began to complain about the scores of schoolgirls they already have.
"They are always crying. They behave like children," Ms. Abba quoted the Boko Haram fighters as saying of the schoolgirls. "We don't want them around."

@farano:
Na wa o

@farano, what is ''wa'' about the matter huh?

AfricanApple: i'm in love with a man 15years older than i am and our relationship is wat i would call perfect even though there isnt really a perfect relationship.

dat age difference is okay and is even d best to me. she got to mke her parents see reasons, for those who married a man close to their age, how many of dem are happy in their marriage.
marriage is all about maturity and d readiness to be a wife or a husband

good point african apple, thanks.
But, just out of curiosity how old are you?

yorex2011: Nothing wrong... Just dat when he was 20 she was 6

lol
So? what's your point?

So myself and a close friend recently had a discussion about him dating a woman much younger than he is, about 14years age difference. They are both educated.But the parents are against the relationship because of the age difference. She is 22 and he's 36. According to my friend she is emotionally and mentally matured and displays wisdom far beyond her age. In addition she is level-headed, very responsible and focused. So i am throwing the question back to nairalanders. Please matured, deep and wise responses would be very much appreciated. Thank you.

Seun has missing Ayobami Jaiyeola been found yet? Please always put it on front page, alongside all other missing persons everyday till they are found. Place them on top of all other threads until those people are found. Let's help the appropriate security agencies in curbing this menace. Thank you bro.

ITbomb: Unless Niger-Delta gets what is due to them , they will never cooperate to prevent oil theft, according to them , it is not theft , it is taking what belongs to them.
During the military rule, most of the official theft proceeds went to the Northern generals and emirs , so why shout now when the landlords are getting into the game.
You cannot handle security without the locals getting involved , so development is the key to ending the oil theft, and I mean direct development not allocation of money to some government MDAs to chop

WORD!!!
Wasn't Buhari the PTF(Petroleum Trust Fund) chairman during Abacha's regime? How come most of the funds disbursed were used majorly for large-scale projects (construction of advanced solid dual-carriage roads etc )in the North compared to the South-south were the resources were derived from?
It took just a few years for Abuja to be developed using oil and gas revenue from the SS (i heard Julius Berger were mainly in charge of most of the construction). It therefore makes sense that the same thing should be carried out in all regions of the South-South and parts of the South-East were the crude oil and gas are being exploited.
Jonathan Goodluck should step-up his game and bring succour and smiles to the suffering people of the Niger-Delta and Nigerians in general. I expected him to have been a bit radical in that direction but so far.........nothing.
Nothing seems to be going on especially in the Niger-Delta DURING HIS TENURE. Between Babangida and Abacha....Abuja was transformed into a major capital city with fantastic infrastructures.
Thank you OP (Harrison)

@obiagele....be objective and read the writeup, but this time with an open mind. Thanx

she ought to get her coaches working on that aspect of her race cos it's a crucial and key part of the race. A good start for someone with her height (which is an advantage if she capitalizes on it adequately) will definitely be the difference between her winning the race and coming in at second place or last.
If i recall correctly, Usain Bolt had the same challenge.

who is that young light-skinned guy in Ogugua's profile picture. I've seen a few of his pictures in her profile, so i'm just wondering if it's her brother or cousin?

Efe Ambrose rating: 1.0 (the 1 is for showing up for the match).
[/quote]


guy you harsh oooh!

fados4sure: Our problem yesterday was Babatunde and Enyeama... I agree with you as regards the way our keeper keep this period. It calls for questioning. But, all the same, we possess them through out the match

possess them

Are they (super eagles) demons??

Nuzo':
Its really surprising that in a country of over 90 million men, we cannot comfortably source for at least 3 strikers that can stand world soccer powers.

It hurts.

Btw, I rate Jarus 9 for his ratings.

u funny oooh! bros!

achi4u: I rather fight trying to save my enemy gal than shoot her:

A
We go exchange number after the War I go go look for am.

Overall Beauty:
1st Position – Graise (Graceful, Lovely Height and figure)
2nd Position – Nadia.SA (makes me wish I was still 25)
3rd Position – Lupey (omo to dun, Asampete, Omalichinwa)

Sex Appeal:
1st Position – Lupey (she so SINFULLY sexy!!!) GUYS CONTROL YA SELVES!
2nd Position – Nadia.SA (smooth, fresh skin and lovely baby looks)
3rd Position – Graise

But the best take home-to-mama-Lady………………..YES! Adaobi (SEXY GEEK!)

[color=#990000][/color]They only came to learn bunkering from their MASTERS (Oga at the Top) Nigeria Bunkerers Association.

[/b][b]Tom Shadyac moves into a trailer park and will work for union minimum on next film
By Ben Arnold | Yahoo UK Movies News

Tom Shadyac, the director of hits including 'Ace Ventura: Pet Detective' and 'The Nutty Professor', has been talking about how he ditched the trappings of his wealth and moved into a mobile home.

The director has given up a mansion in Pasadena, instead opting for a 1000 square-foot home in a trailer park in Malibu.


Shadyac... given up wealth to live in mobile home (Copyright: Rex)

Over recent years, Shadyac has been giving away the wealth he earned by making films that have grossed over $1 billion in all, and has ditched a private jet in favour of a bicycle.

“The more I give away the wealthier I feel,” he told CBS. “For everything I 'gave up', so much more was returned. The trappings of fame and fortune are exactly that - a trapping. It's called the spoils of success for a reason.”

He has said that for his next film, a remake of the French hit 'The Intouchables', he will work for the union minimum for a director.

Though that is still a very big fee of $218,000 (£140,000), it's a far cry from the million dollar salaries that he previously commanded - and those of his peers.

“I believe I was my least successful when I 'had it all'. I was listening to the social notes of wealth, which is all these private jets mansions, a lot of stuff.

“I didn't need a private jet. It costs $44,000 to fly for an hour and a half, someone doesn't even make that in a year.”

Shadyac decided to change his life after a bicycle accident in 2007 left him hypersensitive to noise and light, and over the years has opened up a homeless shelter in Virginia and funded charities that fight poverty and help the environment.

He is also making a living as a screenwriting teacher at Pepperdine University in Malibu.

“No-one is ever looking to have a more robust individual retirement account when they are on their deathbed. They are saying, 'I am so happy that I had the opportunity to love this family, to be a part of something',” he added.

Abeg Onila....How much is the dowry to marry women from other African nations.
Cos Naija women wedding and lifestyle too cost
You can actually go further and attach the Bride Prices beside each nationality.

Thanks...

It's currently winter in the UK and i will be jetting in anytime from now, can someone please direct me to places in Lagos that will offer me good deals on outfits/clothings to shield me from the cold, Thank you,

My comrades, i'm here once again to tap from ur wealth of knowledge. I'd like to know if Tax Clearance Certificate is a key document in UK Student Visa application? not including the document in my application, would it jeopardize my chances of getting the visa?
Thank you.

Guys i need your educated opinions on this, between University of Aberdeen and Heriot-Watt University which one would u choose for MBA.
I would really welcome and appreciate opinions from Nigerians and foreigners who have experienced both environments, what are the benefits and opportunities therein.
Thank u.

thanks

ukman, it's been a while, how're things, fine i hope,
yeah Like u already guessed,i changed my mind about Ozy, cos it was too expensive for me blood, i mean the whole idea of education is to emancipate,liberate onself from the shackles of ignorance and poverty, not the opposite.
i got admission in CURTIN Univ. of Technology,,,but the school fees was almost 5 million Naira, it's crazy, i mean if i pay school fees finish,how i want take chop and take care of other personal effects/issues.
It was'nt worth it my guy, UK is definitely d better option 4 now,
meanwhile where u dey?

Guys i need ur educated opinions on this, between University of Nottingham and Univ. of Leeds which one would u choose for Msc chemical eng, thank u.

@mydreamz
This is hilarious u're so funny, But u're aptly described the true plight of the average nigerian graduate, i was all cracked up when i was reading this,
this is my mail add, bufavour@gmail.com, give me a shout out, will u? i love ur sense of humour,

this is my mail addie, bufoobi@yahoo.co.uk
Thanx,

pinky hi, i'm planning to go do my masters in Australia, would like u to give my some pointers as regards ur one year experience, from the time u applied 4 visa, to booking ur ticket, making arrangement 4 accomodation etc, the whole gist,
thanx.

Can i by any chance be hooked up with one of our Presido's unmarried Daughter's,Yaradua,
It's obvious that beauty runs in their Mother's blood.
But d snag their is,i'm just an ordinary young man,with an engineering background,
Someone should pls help!!!