A UK-based group, Security
in Africa, through its founder, Ben Oguntala, decided to write the British
Ministry of Defence to request for information on the kidnapped Chibok girls
who were abducted since April 2014.
The British government indicated that their findings about the whereabouts of the girls might cause damage to its once platonic relationship with Nigeria and some other countries.
“The information was sent on January 30 this year and the UK government has 20 days to comply. They do have a defence of national security and that would prevent them from disclosing the information. Let’s hope they don’t. If they rely on national security defence, we can raise the matter with the Information Commissioner’s office to determine if their claim of national security is reasonable,” Oguntala told newsmen while requesting for the information.
The British government indicated that their findings about the whereabouts of the girls might cause damage to its once platonic relationship with Nigeria and some other countries.
“The information was sent on January 30 this year and the UK government has 20 days to comply. They do have a defence of national security and that would prevent them from disclosing the information. Let’s hope they don’t. If they rely on national security defence, we can raise the matter with the Information Commissioner’s office to determine if their claim of national security is reasonable,” Oguntala told newsmen while requesting for the information.
The SIA founder, had few
months back tried to organize a task force to go to Sambisa Forest in order to
secure the release of the abducted schoolgirls which made him requested from
the UK government to know the “results and reports of the British Armed Forces,
the details of where they searched and the results of their findings.
In his request letter,
Ogundele sought to have the details of the technology, technique or methodology
used in the search and the consequential results. However, in a letter from the
MOD’s Permanent Joint Headquarters in Middlesex, dated February 25, the British
government said some of the information requested by Oguntala “falls entirely
within the scope of the qualified exemption provided for at section 27
(International Relations) of the FOIA and has been withheld.”
It said, “Section 27 is a
qualified exemption and is subject to public interest testing which means that
the information requested can only be withheld if the public interest in doing
so outweighs the public interest in disclosure.
“Section 27(1)(a), (1)(c)
and (2) have been applied because some of the information has the potential to
adversely affect relations with our allies. The Public Interest Test concluded
that whilst release would increase public understanding and confidence in the
relation the United Kingdom has with other international states in its
assistance with operations, the balance of the public interest lay in
withholding the information you desire.
“We have considered it
necessary to apply the higher level of prejudice against release of the
exempted information at the higher level of ‘would’ rather than ‘would be
likely to’ adversely affect relations with our allies.”
Although the the British
defence ministry shared the details of the ‘technology, technique or
methodology‘ used, it made it known that it would not release the details of
where the UK soldiers searched and the results of their findings.
According to the MOD, the
RAF Sentinel R1 and Tornado aircraft were used to “provide imagery and other
data as part of a combined effort with Nigeria and other nations.” The Sentinel
R1 is the UK Royal Air Force’s only long-range wide area battlefield
surveillance asset, providing critical intelligence and target tracking
information to British and Coalition forces.
“After the 1990 Gulf War,
it was identified by the allies that Intelligence, Surveillance and
Reconnaissance had played a key role in the success of this operation. In
particular, the use of Synthetic Aperture Radar and Ground Moving Target
Indicator had proved invaluable in the tracking and prosecution of enemy ground
forces. This galvanised the UK to acquire its own capability and in 1993 the
requirement was endorsed by the MOD,” the RAF said on its website.
However, not allowing the
response of the MOD to affect his mission, Oguntala said his group would also
approach the British Prime Minister to “reveal what he can about the Chibok
girls.”
“I have had several persons
suggesting that I drop the matter and claiming Boko Haram is being used by
political players. This information request approach means if the British
government declares what it knows, there will be no place for Nigerian
political players to hide,” he said.
Meanwhile, few days ago, it
was made known that after the April 14, 2014 abduction of nearly 300 girls in
Borno, the Americans sent spy planes to Nigeria to help locate the victims, as
agreed with the Nigerian military.
Punch
What findings other that some of our leaders are behind it.
ReplyDeleteThey can hide it for now, these findings would be told one day
ReplyDelete