In an interview with Rudolph Okonkwo
of Sahara Reporters, Senator Khalifa
Ahmed Zanna of Borno Central said that
Boko Haram members "are just raping
the girls on camera and even showing
them on video, releasing it to the
public."
The Senator said;
Somebody told me that they were
shown being raped, and in turn, it is
the girl who was raped that came
out kneeling down and begging the
man to be patient. Do you know the
reason why? They said when they
rape them they shoot them.
Therefore the girl after being
raped, she curled down to the man,
kneeling down and begging him to
please be patient. So disturbing.
And although I didn’t see the video,
the person narrated to me, he said
he had the video.
Watch the interview and read
transcript below..
Rudolf: It’s been 70 days and people
across the world have bought into this
campaign, they want to see that these
girls are freed. What is the situation
now in Borno?
Senator Zanna: I left Nigeria almost
three weeks now, but I have been
getting in touch with my people and I’m
enquiring about what is happening. I am
also talking to different people who
happen to know the movements of Boko
Haram and what is going on about the
girls and all what-have-you. But up till
today I don’t think a breakthrough is
made by the government in getting the
girls out. There is a rumour, not a
rumour per say, but a statement from a
friend in Cameroon, who lives at the
border area, telling me that Boko Haram
and the government are in
conversation, they are negotiating.
That was before I left Nigeria. But up till
today, nothing came out of it. I asked
him, “what is happening?” He said the
government is ready to release the
detainees which they requested, but
they don’t want to release or give them
money because they are still fighting.
Which is also, I buy that idea that if
they are going to get more money, they
may buy weapons. But my conscience is
telling me that it is better to get those
girls out and then go after the Boko
Haram. To take them out is most
important. Let them feel, let the
government feel if their own daughters
are in these particular girls; are they
going to behave the same way? So as
far as I’m concerned, although there are
some moves to get them out, but
because of the level of the insecurity in
that area, particularly Boko Haram’s
capacity, and the government don’t
want to improve the capacity of the
Boko Haram. It is reasonable, but it is
very important for them to get those
girls out.
Rudolf: A lot of people are worried,
after 70 days, how are they feeding the
girls, how is the health of the girls. Do
we know anything about that?
Senator Zanna: Actually the information
I’m getting, some of them are very
disturbing. Although I don’t want to
mention but they are just raping the
girls on camera and even showing them
on video, releasing it to the public.
Somebody told me that they were
shown being raped, and in turn, it is the
girl who was raped that came out
kneeling down and begging the man to
be patient. Do you know the reason
why? They said when they rape them
they shoot them. Therefore the girl
after being raped, she curled down to
the man, kneeling down and begging him
to please be patient. So disturbing. And
although I didn’t see the video, the
person narrated to me, he said he had
the video, and he was narrating to me,
and look at the situation. And then the
other scenario is that the Boko Haram
are now out of funds, they are not
getting enough food. So they are going
from one village to another, taking the
little the villagers had, and going away.
In fact most of the villages are almost
moved out of their villages and moved
to cities or gone into the neighbouring
countries. So more or less they don’t
have any chance of getting food. So I
don’t know what they’re going to do, if
food is not available are they going to
sacrifice to give it to the girls. And
then, the other information I have,
because you know the kidnap is a
continuous process which they have
been doing before the 200 and after
the 200. So in their position, there are
up to 500 or over 500 women who are
being taken from the streets, on the
main roads where they are traveling, or
they go to the villages and collect them;
all kinds of abductions.
Rudolf: People are also asking about
the international community that
offered to help and send in support
staff, America sent in troops and
soldiers. Why is it that we’ve not seen
any kind of action, even if the Nigerian
side are not effective. Why are the
international group not being effective
in terms of taking action.
Senator Zanna: You know Nigeria being
an independent country, the
international community are very
careful in their conducts. But they will
really have or they’re in a burden of
guilt if they do not do anything about
this situation because the situation is
more than disturbing. Maybe the
government did not give them
permission to go, particularly America,
they’re in Chad. I don’t know after my
departure they must have moved into
Nigeria, or they’re doing something, I
don’t know. But they did not go direct to
Nigeria. They are in Chad. So I don’t
know what is going on with the
government. Since I am not around, I
don’t have much information on the
relation between the foreign countries
and Nigeria’s government.
Rudolf: Can you tell our viewers what
brought you to America? You were
saying before you came on air that you
went to the United Nations.
Senator Zanna: Yes I went to the
United Nations simply because, there
are so many people in my constituency
from Banki area, from Kala-Balge area,
Gamboru Ngala, I’m sure you remember
Gamboru Ngala where about 500
people were killed by Boko Haram. And
these people, even those who are
close to the border, they go into
Cameroon, spend the night, come back
the following day, to spend their day. So
there are a lot of refugees across the
border, and they are not allowed deep
into Cameroon. they are just by the
side of the river. Some of them are in
Fotokol, some of them are in Dabanga,
some of them are in Banki, I mean
Kolofata, and some of them are in
Amchide. Nobody is taking care of them.
They are just there, no food, no any
facility for human existence. So
therefore I became disturbed, I said let
me come and at least get audience with
the United Nations so that they can at
least form a camp around that area.
People are really really afraid to live in
Nigeria.
Rudolf: Are the Nigerian government
aware of this, that people are moving
into Cameroon?
They are aware. I gave an interview to
BBC at that time when the Kala-Balge
people and Gambarungala people were
moving to Cameroon. They told me they
want to move to Cameroon and they’re
now packing. I told them yes go on move
because you are not being protected.
Since you inform the government to
come and protect you and they don’t
come. You informed them of an
impending attack, nobody comes to
rescue you. So what is left for you is to
move into Cameroon, where maybe you
may be safe. So that interview I
granted over 3 weeks now. So
therefore I don’t think the government
is not aware, because the relief agency
organization, NEMA, are aware. They
wanted to send goods to that place, but
even the transporters are not ready to
transport food to that area. So
therefore what is left for us is to tell
United Nations to come through
Cameroon to give food to those people.
Rudolf: This question is about the
presidential committee that was set up
to look into the kidnappings. They’ve
turned in their report and yet there are
some people out there who believe
that this kidnapping of these girls didn’t
happen. What do you say to such
people?
Senator Zanna: I think they are not fair,
at the same time they are not humans.
If they say this did not happen, then
they are not human beings. If you are
sycophantic to government, you
shouldn’t go to that extent, where the
lives of people are involved.
Particularly vulnerable people like
schoolgirls. You know? Even after the
abduction there were a lot of killings
that had taken place. But the attention
of the world is on those girls, why
because they are women, and they are
very young, at their tender age, and if
somebody is not sympathetic to that,
and coming to deny that this has not
taken place, I think he is not being fair
to human community.
