Hostage Rescue Operation (Nigeria)

Part of Oral Answers to Questions — Justice – in the House of Commons at 3:42 pm on 13 March 2012.

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Photo of Philip Hammond Philip Hammond The Secretary of State for Defence 3:42, 13 March 2012

The control of the wider area was under the command of the Nigerian military authorities and the approach that they determined was appropriate—they, after all, are in the best position to judge—was that a cordon at some distance needed to be placed around the area. Our concern was that a number of events, starting with the arrest of members of the group on Tuesday evening through to the movements of Nigerian military into the area overnight on Wednesday, could have given the kidnappers an increasing awareness of what was going on and therefore put at increasing levels of risk the lives of the hostages.