Former Minister of Foreign Affairs, Prof. Bolaji Akinyemi, has accused certain elements within the Nigerian military of compromising a covert rescue mission by the United States to free the abducted Chibok schoolgirls.
He alleged that the operation was sabotaged after intelligence about the plan was leaked to Boko Haram insurgents.
Akinyemi made the revelation during an interview on Arise News on Tuesday while reacting to recent remarks by US President Donald Trump, who threatened to deploy American troops to Nigeria to confront terrorists allegedly targeting Christians.
He explained that during the administration of former President Goodluck Jonathan, the US and Federal Governments had agreed on a joint secret military operation aimed at rescuing the 276 schoolgirls abducted from Chibok in 2014.
However, the plan was aborted after it became evident that Boko Haram had been forewarned.
“The Americans had a big experience under Jonathan. When the Chibok girls were kidnapped by Boko Haram, the Americans came in quietly with the support of the Jonathan administration and in collaboration with the Nigerian troops,” Akinyemi said.
The former minister said that after identifying the camps where the schoolgirls were being held, both countries agreed to deploy a non-lethal gas attack while the insurgents were asleep, allowing troops to move in and rescue the girls unharmed.
He recounted that the plan was compromised when the U.S. reconnaissance aircraft sent to survey the area discovered that the insurgents were already equipped with gas masks, revealing that the mission details had been leaked.
“They discovered the camps where the girls were being held and concluded they would throw gas into those camps while Boko Haram were sleeping and would go in with the Nigerian troops to take out the girls. When the Americans sent their reconnaissance aircraft over the camps, the Boko Haram militias were wearing masks, which meant someone within the Nigerian army had leaked to them what the plan was, and the Americans pulled out,” Akinyemi stated.
Akinyemi urged President Bola Tinubu to sanitise the military if he intends to effectively tackle terrorism and restore public confidence in the nation’s security institutions.
He also cautioned Tinubu against adopting a confrontational stance toward Trump, advising that the president instead demonstrate genuine commitment to addressing insecurity in Nigeria to prevent any possible foreign military intervention.
Akinyemi’s revelation adds weight to long-standing suspicions among Nigerians about internal sabotage and government complicity in the nation’s persistent security challenges.
