IGP blames Stockholm syndrome as rescued Chibok girls seek to go back to their captors
The Inspector-General of Police (IGP), Usman Baba, said some of the rescued Chibok girls that had been forcefully married to their kidnappers might be suffering the Stockholm syndrome, as they always made moves to return to their abductors under different guises.
According to This Day, the IGP stated this during a media briefing at the State House, Abuja.
Baba said some of the Chibok girls, who had been put in the family way and were rescued while wandering in the bush, had actually been making moves to return to their captors.
“The issue of Chibok girls, you know they are coming out one after another and gradually. Sometimes they come out and say, yes, we have come to see our parents and we want to go back.
“So, maybe they have been assimilated or acclimatized with the situation and being indoctrinated and had become part and parcel of those who have abducted them. But as I have said, it is a continuous effort and even last month, you saw a Chibok girl coming out with two or three kids and said she only came to greet her parents and she wants to go back. So, we are still on it, there is hope,” he assured.
Justifying negotiations by security operatives to secure the release of kidnap victims, Baba said it would be an exercise in futility if terrorists, who were armed, abducted persons and the police went in search of them under captivity, using extreme force.
Over 80 Chibok girls are still in Boko Haram captivity, including 29 students of Federal Government College Birni Yauri, Kebbi State, the IGP stated.
“You see, the issue of kidnapping is an issue that bothers almost all the security agents, including the military; it is a crime that once it is committed, you have to tread very softly and with all sense of professionalism. If you do not rescue the person, safely, and unhurt, you have not achieved anything and once somebody is in the captivity of an armed person, then, you need to do a lot of things; it is not all about guns and other things.
“There are a lot of other things that can be done. We were able to rescue the whole forestry students in Kaduna through negotiation, we were able to rescue many others, which I can give you an example. For those that we are in contact with, there are things that we are doing. It is a new crime and requires new ways of approaching it and new ways of dousing it.
“Clearly, it is under study. For instance, the issue of training negotiators and so forth were not an issue before, but now we are looking into it and we are putting our personnel to undergo such training and courses. So, we will not say hope is lost. We are still on it.”
Highlighting developments and achievements of the Nigeria Police, the police boss confirmed the arrest of suspected terrorists and the plans to prosecute them.
While reacting to a question on the recent security advisories issued by the United States (US) that generated panic in the federal capital a couple of weeks ago. Baba said, “Yes, actually, arrests have been made for those we believe are planning to commit a crime in whatever form and we have done that arrest and as at when due, those arrested will be charged to court by any of the services, which have them.
He, however, denied insinuations that the government tried to dismiss the advisory, noting that it drew criticisms from security stakeholders because it caused apprehension among the citizens.
He said, “Nobody has dismissed as just an alarm. The government has never dismissed it as an alarm but we only said it was blown or made in such a way that our people became apprehensive about the situation or the way it was done.
“The embassies have their own responsibilities to their citizens and they can make their advice and the government has not dismissed what has happened because they have also informed us of what they foresaw as threats.
“And we, on our part, have also looked at what they put as a threat as something that has been with us and efforts are being made daily to see that those threats are mitigated or prevented from happening and that is what has been happening in Abuja and all over the country.
“Sometimes, these threats or things happen but nobody has dismissed it as mere alarm and a lot of efforts have been made, like you said, to douse tension,” he said.
Baba advised political parties, politicians, and their supporters to stay within the space granted by the law while carrying out their campaigns, and urged them to avoid activities and actions that could lead to the breakdown of law and order.
Commenting on the Wednesday attack on members of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Maiduguri, Baba said the police spokesperson in the state, ASP Kamilu Shatambaya, might have reached a conclusion too quickly in his assessment. He said he felt the assessment by the state PRO was too hasty and not conclusive, hence, the decision to establish a team to make a holistic assessment of the various narratives to ascertain the true picture and prevent a reoccurrence.
The IGP said, “On how realistic it is in stopping the issue of violence in our political agenda either in rallies or campaigns, well, it takes two to tango. There are laid down means, ways, and procedures to do rallies and campaigns.
“On our part, we have gone out to appeal to politicians to play the game by the rules. And at the same time, allow us to regulate political processions, campaigns, and rallies, to avoid clashes and so forth.”
The IGP said the alleged abuse of power by a local security outfit, Ebubeagu, in Ebonyi State and similar activities were being checked.
“I think I have even made announcements earlier than even their letter. On the day of the signing of the peace accord, I observed that we have not less than 64 security outfits that have been created by different state governors with names for different purposes,” he revealed.
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