By Rafiu Ajakaye
LAGOS
The Nigerian opposition on Sunday demanded a probe into the government's recent announcement about reaching a cease-fire with Boko Haram, which the militant group has since denied.
"The All Progressive Congress (APC) calls for an independent inquiry to unravel the circumstances surrounding the apparently fake cease-fire deal announced by the Jonathan administration on October 17 now that the sect's leadership has described as an impostor the man with whom the phantom deal was negotiated," APC spokesman Lai Mohammed said in a statement.
A man purported to be Boko Haram leader Abubakar Shekau appeared in a new video on Friday denying any deal with Nigeria and threatening that the abducted girls are not coming back because they have been married off.
The Nigerian government announced last month reaching a Chad-brokered cease-fire with Boko Haram which stipulated the safe return of over 200 schoolgirls abducted by the group in northeastern Borno State in April.
Chief of Defense Staff Alex Badeh said two weeks ago that troops had been asked to halt counterinsurgency operations in line with the terms of the cease-fire.
Foreign Minister Aminu Wali later confirmed the cease-fire, saying negotiations were ongoing in neighboring Chad and exonerated Boko Haram from a spate of recent attacks and kidnappings.
The opposition APC said the government's cease-fire announcement had given "false hopes" to parents of the abducted girls.
"When Boko Haram continued to carry out deadly attacks and annex territories, despite the so-called ceasefire, we waited for the government to tell Nigerians what was happening, but there was no convincing explanation," it added.
"When the date announced for the release of the girls passed, we waited for the government to tell Nigerians what the problem was, but all we got from the easily excitable and trifling presidential spokesmen was platitude," said the opposition.
"Now the parents and indeed all Nigerians have been victimized for the umpteenth time by the same government that has failed in its main reason for existence, which is the security and welfare of the citizenry," it added.
"Nigerians will like to know how the Jonathan administration got swindled by an impostor, who the major players were and what the government plans to do to address what has now become a monumental national and international embarrassment," said the opposition party.
"Engaging in cheap damage control by insisting on the genuineness of the deal will only amount to taking Nigerians for a ride," it added.
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