Ghana troops to fight Boko Haram?

As ECOWAS Chairman, President John Mahama arrives in Abuja to confer with his colleague, President Goodluck Jonathan of Nigeria over the abduction of over 200 school girls and Flagstaff House sources are not ruling out Ghana sending troops to help that country’s army flush out Islamic terrorist group, Boko Haram.

Sources at the presidency disclosed to The aL-hAJJ, President Mahama, who is attending the World Economic Forum in the Nigerian capital, Abuja in his capacity as ECOWAS chair, is expected to hold bilateral discussions with President Jonathan relating to what assistance Ghana and the sub-regional body can offer Nigeria in its war with the terrorist Islamic organization.

According to a source at the seat of government “President Mahama’s pledge to provide support for his brother; President Dr Goodluck Jonathan of Nigeria also means that Accra is not ruling out sending Ghanaian soldiers to assist their Nigerian counterparts flush out the terrorist organization”.

Confirming this to TV3’s late news anchor Komlae Klutse on Tuesday, Communication Director and Presidential Spokesperson, Ben Dotse Malor stated that Ghana will provide all the necessary and needed support Nigeria will require to end the Boko Haram campaign of terror in West Africa’s most populous State.

“When the president talks of providing support for Nigeria, what kind of support is he talking about? Does that also include military assistance…?” TV3’s late news caster, Komla Klutse enquired from Dotse Malor.

The Communication Director at the presidency retorted “Any support the government and people of Ghana can provide and any support President Goodluck Jonathan and the government of Nigeria will require from Ghana to end the terror by Boko Haram insurgents.”

Meanwhile, The aL-hAJJ has gathered that Ghana as Chair of the sub-regional body, ECOWAS, is lobbying other West African nations to consider contributing troops to Nigerian, similar to the one deployed to Mali to fight Islamic rebels in the Northern part of the Country.

The United States has already sent a team of experts to Nigeria to help in the hunt for the over 200 school girls suspected to have been abducted by terror group, Boko Haram. US President Barack Obama on Tuesday described the abductions as heart-breaking" and "outrageous" and said he hoped the kidnapping might galvanize the international community to take action against Boko Haram.

In his capacity as Chairman of ECOWAS, President John Mahama on Monday wrote a letter to his colleague President Jonathan, noting that Nigeria’s security and stability was tied to the security and stability of the entire West African sub-region.

President John Mahama’s input has been necessitated by recent bombings in Nigeria, especially the abduction of over 200 school girls in Chibok, Borno State, by elements of the terrorist group.

While the Federal Government of Nigeria has been applying all means possible including a $300,000 cash reward to anyone who can help locate and rescue the more than 200 abducted school girls, another 11 girls were taken on Sunday from villages near the militants' hideout in a nearby forest.

Meanwhile, officials from the US State Department said there was evidence that some of the girls had been moved into neighbouring countries such as Cameroon and Chad.

UN envoy and former British Prime Minister Gordon Brown has also called on the US and UK to mount a surveillance operation and to help rescue the girls if they find them.

There has been growing concern, within and outside Nigeria, at the failure to locate the girls.

Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni, whose military sought to overcome similar tactics by the Lord's Resistance Army, condemned the Boko Haram attacks.

"These people are ideologically bankrupt" he said.

"It would be a mistake for the government of Nigeria to negotiate with these people. The most important thing is to defeat them, and then negotiations can come after that," he added.