Boko Haram: Captured geologists write President Buhari

AFTER forty two days in captivity, boko haram under the leadership of Abumusaf Albanawi have granted permission to the three staff members from University of Maiduguri to write their relatives to put pressure for their release.

The urged all stake holders in charge of such a national assignment which got them into the hands of Boko haram to wake up from their slumber.

In the letter, hand written by their leader Dr Solomon Yusuf on behalf of the three of them, they asked the government to continue to negotiate with the contact given to them to get across to their captors one of the factional leader of Boko Haram Albanawi.

Dr Yusuf who spoke in an emotion laden video few days after being captured had called on the federal government to corporate with the insurgents.

In the emotion laden letter Dr Yusuf asked his wife to tell his father to name his new baby for him because it is obvious the baby cannot wait for him to come out of captivity before getting a name.

Dr Yusuf had been captured on the last day of their twenty one days exploration spree in the Lake Chad region and the wife had suffered from forced labour on hearing that her husband pronounced dead before he was shown alive by the insurgents.

He went on “I am writing this letter in captivity and to let you know that I am alive and well. My friends here Mr Yusuf Ibrahim and Mr Haruna Dashe are also alive and hoping to be home very soon. How is Suzy (Mirabelle) and Bryan – Janjaro? How is the new born baby? I want my father Mr Nehemiali Yusuf Janjaro to name the new born baby in my absence.”

Dr Yusuf called again for the second time for the University of Maiduguri to mount pressure and free him and his colleagues from captivity.

“Please extend the greetings of Mr Yusuf Ibrahim to his mother Mrs Saratu Ibrahim and the entire family including Deborah. Also inform Mr Haruna Dashe’s wife (Margaret) and his children Emmanuella, Binta, Beatrice and Mary that he really loves and misses them. I plead with our families to join face and mount pressure on the University and Government to secure our freedom.” He said.

From his letter, the University’s management should double up its acts to get him out because they sent him to that I’ll fated national assignment which ended in such a tragedy after twenty one days of exploration.

Hear him address his supervisors: “Prof Saidu Baba and Prof Adamu Dzivama I want to draw your attention and remind you that today is forty two days in captivity. We were caught working on a project both of you were co-ordinating for NNPC in collaboration with University of Maiduguri to explore for hydrocarbon in the Nigerian sector of the Chad Basin.

“To be frank with both of you, we never thought we will spend this days in captivity with the soldiers of Khalifa, having it in mind that about seventy lives were lost in the process and we thought the government will come quickly to negotiate and rescue us alive, yet we are still captives.”

He also spoke directly to the Asuu leadership in the country: “I want to thank ASUU (National body) and UNIMAID chapter under the leadership of Dr Dani Mamman for the effort so far for including us in the present strike agenda, we plead with you not to relent in your effort to help us gain our freedom and be re-united with our families. We call on you (ASUU) to remain our voice and fight for our freedom.”

Dr Yusuf also challenged the Commander in Chief of the armed forces President Mohammadu Buhari, Senate President, Bukola Saraki, Speaker house of representative, Do garage, Governor of Borno State Kashim Shettima, Minister of Education Adamu Adamu and minister of petroleum Kachukwu to remember that they were caught on a national assignment to acquire gravity, magnetic data and soil geochemistry samples for hydrocarbon exploration in the Nigerian sector of the Chad Basin on the 25th July, 2017 and not on a self excusion or sight-seeing to the area.

“We plead with government to meet the demands of soldiers of Khalifa under the leadership of Abu Mus’ad Albarnawi so that we can be re-united with our families alive as soon as possible. I want to also emphasis that delay on getting our freedom possess risk to our dear lives. We never expected we will spend over forty two days (as at 4th September, 2017) in captivity because the project has presidential order to explore hydrocarbon in the Chad Basin.

“I also want to remind the government of the promise made by the Vice President while acting President when he commissioned a rice mill in Kebbi State that the Government will do everything possible to get them out alive within the shortest period of time because they were on a “National Assignment” The government should please continue negotiating with the present contact given to them by University of Maiduguri as means of contacting soldiers of Khalifa under the leadership of Abu Mus’ab Albarnawi.”

He thanked media houses both local and international for supporting the cause for their freedom.

“We plead to the government to treat our freedom with all sense of urgency and sympathy so that we can be re-united with our families. The use of force is a serious threat to our lives” he warned

No mention was made of ransom by the group in the two page letter but it is expected that in the fullness of time that would come to play and it is usually done clandestinely as that of the last set of eighty two chibok girls returned to their parents.