Questions are being raised by the media in Canada over what their country may or may not be doing in Nigeria to help in the hunt for schoolgirls kidnapped by Boko Haram.
The Canadian government, according to Ottawa Citizen, had claimed that it had sent personnel, both in a liaison and advisory capacity.
The government had said it had sent surveillance equipment but had offered no other details for security reasons.
Government officials privately claim that Canadian special forces have been sent.
York interviewed a number of Nigerian military and government officials who question whether Canada is involved or say they don’t have any information about the involvement because they have yet to see any presence of Canadians.
Nigerian President Goodluck Jonathan expressed his gratitude to the countries helping in the search for more than 200 kidnapped schoolgirls.
As York writes, he specifically singled out four countries for special praise – France, Britain, the United States and Israel – but made no mention of Canada.
York also noted that US Secretary of State, John Kerry, cast further doubt on Canada’s role in Nigeria.
“Only the United States is there offering the assistance to help find those young women,” Kerry said in a speech last week in Washington. “Other countries, not only aren’t they invited, but they did not even offer.”
Major-General Chris Olukolade, the spokesman for the Nigerian defence department, told York that he didn’t know anything about Canada’s involvement.
He had no information.
It’s all rather puzzling. Other countries are talking about what they have provided, including surveillance aircraft and other equipment (the US said it was not sending special forces).
Nigerian news outlets have dismissed the reports of foreign help as largely a public relations show for western nations.
