Senator Zanna Says Chibok Girls are Being Raped on Camera and Videos Released to the Public

In an interview with Rudolf 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.

The interview was recorded on the 24th of June in New York, 70 days after the abductions, but was released today, 3rd July. See the video and the 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?

Senator Zanna: 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.

Read More - Sahara Reporters