NIGERIA ACCEPTS ISRAELI HELP FOR SEARCHING KIDNAPPED SCHOOL GIRLS

Lagos, 14 Rajab 1435/13 May 2014 (MINA) – Nigeria’s President Goodluck Jonathan has accepted an Israeli offer to help search for 223 kidnapped school girls by the extremist Boko Haram group, Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office announced yesterday.

Netanyahu is reported to have told the Nigerian president: “Israel expresses deep shock at the crime against the girls. We are ready to help in finding the girls and fighting the cruel terrorism inflicted on you.”

The statement gave no further details on the nature of assistance provided, according to Middle East Monitor (MEMO) reports as quoted by Mi’raj Islamic News Agency (MINA).

A foreign ministry spokesman said he does not know of any cooperation efforts in the present time.

Israel and Nigeria have a defence agreement whereby Israel supplied Nigeria with drones in September and joined other countries to advise Kenya to confront Islamic militants who attacked a trading centre in Nairobi.

In a statement, the Nigerian president’s office said: “President Jonathan has accepted an Israeli offer by Prime Minister Netanyahu to send a team of Israeli counter-terrorism experts to contribute to the ongoing search operations. Nigeria would be pleased to have Israel’s globally acknowledged anti-terrorism expertise deployed to support its ongoing operations.”

A total of 276 girls were abducted by Boko Haram on April 14 from the northeast of the country, which has a sizeable Christian community. Some 223 are still missing.(T/Fauziah/P03/E01)

Mi’raj Islamic News Agency (MINA)