UK Ministry of Defense says it has
information about the missing Chibok girls but cannot share it with Nigeria because according to them, revealing details of what it found about the whereabouts of the abducted girls would clearly damage its relationship
with Nigeria and other allies.
According to Punch , this revelation came after an independent security
organization, Security In Africa, who
planned to storm the Sambisa forest to rescue the girls, wrote a letter to UK government asking for any information they had on the missing girls.
Continue...
Part of the letter written by Security In Africa founder, Ben Oguntala reads; "We seek to know the results and reports of the British Armed
Forces, the details of where they
searched and the results of their
finding
s. We also seek to have the
details of the technology,
technique or methodology used in
the search and the consequential
results”.
However a response to the request
letter by the UK Ministry of
Defence Permanent Joint Headquarters in Middlesex, dated February 25th stated that the UK will not be able to release any information on its findings
about the Chibok girls as some of the
information requested for has the
potential of adversely affecting their
relations with their allies
"The information falls entirely
within the scope of the qualified
exemption provided for at section
27 (International Relations) of the
FOIA and has been withheld.
Section 27 is a qualified exemption
and is subject to public interest
testing which means that the
information requested can only be
withheld if the public interest in
doing so outweighs the public
interest in disclosure. Section
27(1)(a), (1)(c) and (2) have been
applied because some of the
information has the potential to
adversely affect relations with our
allies. The Public Interest Test
concluded that whilst release
would increase public
understanding and confidence in
the relation the United Kingdom
has with other international states
in its assistance with operations,
the balance of the public interest
lay in withholding the information
you desire. We have considered it
necessary to apply the higher
level of prejudice against release
of the exempted information at
the higher level of ‘would’ rather
than ‘would be likely to’ adversely
affect relations with our allies.”
the letter read
The UK Defence ministry however
shared information on the technology, methodology and technique they used during the search of the Chibok girls.
According to the letter, RAF Sentinel R1 and Tornado aircraft were used to
“provide imagery and other data as part of a combined effort with Nigeria and other nations.”
The Sentinel R1 is the UK Royal Air
Force’s only long-range wide area
battlefield surveillance asset, providing critical intelligence and target tracking information to British and Coalition forces.
information about the missing Chibok girls but cannot share it with Nigeria because according to them, revealing details of what it found about the whereabouts of the abducted girls would clearly damage its relationship
with Nigeria and other allies.
According to Punch , this revelation came after an independent security
organization, Security In Africa, who
planned to storm the Sambisa forest to rescue the girls, wrote a letter to UK government asking for any information they had on the missing girls.
Continue...
Part of the letter written by Security In Africa founder, Ben Oguntala reads; "We seek to know the results and reports of the British Armed
Forces, the details of where they
searched and the results of their
finding
s. We also seek to have the
details of the technology,
technique or methodology used in
the search and the consequential
results”.
However a response to the request
letter by the UK Ministry of
Defence Permanent Joint Headquarters in Middlesex, dated February 25th stated that the UK will not be able to release any information on its findings
about the Chibok girls as some of the
information requested for has the
potential of adversely affecting their
relations with their allies
"The information falls entirely
within the scope of the qualified
exemption provided for at section
27 (International Relations) of the
FOIA and has been withheld.
Section 27 is a qualified exemption
and is subject to public interest
testing which means that the
information requested can only be
withheld if the public interest in
doing so outweighs the public
interest in disclosure. Section
27(1)(a), (1)(c) and (2) have been
applied because some of the
information has the potential to
adversely affect relations with our
allies. The Public Interest Test
concluded that whilst release
would increase public
understanding and confidence in
the relation the United Kingdom
has with other international states
in its assistance with operations,
the balance of the public interest
lay in withholding the information
you desire. We have considered it
necessary to apply the higher
level of prejudice against release
of the exempted information at
the higher level of ‘would’ rather
than ‘would be likely to’ adversely
affect relations with our allies.”
the letter read
The UK Defence ministry however
shared information on the technology, methodology and technique they used during the search of the Chibok girls.
According to the letter, RAF Sentinel R1 and Tornado aircraft were used to
“provide imagery and other data as part of a combined effort with Nigeria and other nations.”
The Sentinel R1 is the UK Royal Air
Force’s only long-range wide area
battlefield surveillance asset, providing critical intelligence and target tracking information to British and Coalition forces.
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