Boko Haram members
The
Christian Association of Nigeria on Thursday flayed Boko Haram’s
rejection of amnesty by the Federal Government, saying it was a further
indication that the militant Islamic sect was bent on Islamising the
country.
CAN, through its President, Pastor Ayo
Oritsejafor, therefore challenged northern leaders seeking amnesty for
Boko Haram members to bring Sheik Ibrahim Shekau to a dialogue
table with the government.
Shekau,who is the sect’s leader, had in
a recorded audio message in Hausa, said it was ironical that the
Federal Government was contemplating amnesty for Boko Haram members,
who according to him, had not done anything wrong by waging a war
against the nation.
He was quoted by the Agence France Presse
as saying, “Surprisingly, the Nigerian government is talking about
granting amnesty. What wrong have we done? On the contrary, it is we
that should grant you (Federal Government) (a) pardon.”
But Oritsejafor, who in a telephone
interview with one of our correspondents, reiterated his opposition to
amnesty for the sect members, said he was not surprised by the
development.
He said, “The menace of Boko Haram is
primarily a religious issue. They believe they have a mandate from Allah
to Islamise Nigeria. When I talk like this, it’s not because I hate
Muslims.
“In fact, those who say they are good
Muslim leaders should be worried because Boko Haram members are the
people who give Islam a bad name.”
Stating that Boko Haram is based on
ideology, he added, “They (Boko Haram members) do not see anything
good in what government is saying. I am therefore not surprised at
what Shekau just said.
“In my opinion, he is even a more
principled man than most of these Boko Haram members because most of
them are just jumping on the bandwagon and thinking that by saying this,
Nigerians will see them as people who love Nigeria, but it’s not true.
“We have said it before, to whom do
government want to give amnesty? Where is the prison and where are the
people? I understand Shekau said it’s Boko Haram that should give the
Federal Government amnesty. So, where do we go from here?”
Oritsejafor said rather than pursuing
amnesty for the group, the Federal Government should concentrate on the
victims of its violence.
“The government should find ways to
stop people from being killed and they should find ways to compensate
the people and do something to help the widows and orphans. As we
speak, the killing is still going on every day in Borno, Yobe and some
other states in the North.”
Advising that “people should stop
comparing Boko Haram with Niger Delta militants,” the cleric noted that
the late President Umaru Yar’ Adua did not go to the Niger Delta to
look for the “boys.”
“He (Yar’Adua) gave President Goodluck
Jonathan who was then his deputy an order to go to the creeks. He
(Jonathan) was able to identify the boys and they were taken to Yar’
Adua. So these Northern elders should look for Shekau and his people and
negotiate with them .”
He recalled that Yar’ Adua gave the militants months to drop their arms and ammunition and embrace amnesty.
In separate interviews also on
Thursday, the Pan-Northern socio-political organisation, the Arewa
Consultative Forum, and the Northern Elders Forum advised the Federal
Government to formally make an offer to the sect members.
The advice by the two groups was
however opposed by the Coalition of Concerned Northern Politicians
and Academics and Businessmen as well as the Civil Rights Congress
which said the rejection of amnesty did not surprise them.
The ACF, through its National Publicity
Secretary , Mr. Anthony Sani, said, “Let the amnesty be offered
first and those agreeable to it accept before we know how to handle
those that refuse it.
“This is because amnesty is a mechanism put in place to assure the safety of members of the sect should they agree to dialogue.”
To the NEF, the rejection of the plan was a sign that dialogue had started between the Federal Government and Boko Haram.
“We are very glad. If there is a
reaction from the group in terms of what government has pronounced, even
though it has not given details of its pronouncement to us that is the
beginning of dialogue; at least dialogue through the medium that you are
providing,” spokesperson for the NEF, Prof. Ango Abdullahi, said in
an interview with one of our correspondents.
He added, “People can exchange views
through newspapers at the beginning that could eventually lead them to
face each other person to person. Really we will look at it positively
and if nothing, our efforts have so far led to this exchange between
the group and the government. I think we should look at it on the
positive side.
“If we look at it on the negative side,
we will not be promoting the eventual dialogue and understanding that we
are looking for.”
The group recalled that when Yar’Adua
granted amnesty for Niger Delta militants, he gave them a six- month
period to accept the offer.
It therefore advised the Federal Government to give the sect a time frame within which to accept the offer.
The elders forum added that it was wrong
for the government to have said that the sect was faceless since
about 5, 000 of its members were currently in detention.
“We can’t say these people are
faceless. Many of them are present because there are about 5, 000 of
them in detention and you are the ones reporting that commander so
and so have been arrested,” he said.
But the Executive Secretary of CRC, Mallam Shehu Sani, insisted that the amnesty plan was a charade.
In a telephone interview with one of our
correspondents, Sani said, “In the first place, the whole idea of the
amnesty is centered on the disbursement of money and the group has never
made any financial request or demand and has never given any financial
condition for anything.
“So by rejecting the amnesty, they are
simply rejecting what they perceive as a charade and an attempt to use
them to defraud the state.
“It is very clear that the northern
elite are in fact in support of the amnesty and the proposal which they
have shown the President contains nothing but ideas on how money could
be spent on the issue of amnesty but the insurgent group now came out
to reject the whole idea simply because it is dubious.”
Also, the Convener of CCNPAB, Dr.
Junaid Mohammed, said, “What they (Boko Haram) said was actually the
truth. Firstly, they had not negotiated with the Federal Government and
so the question of who is giving who amnesty becomes confused. You
have at least some measure of guilt before you accept to benefit from
and subsequently accept being forgiven. That is what amnesty is all
about.
An Ibadan- based cleric and founder of
the C&S Success Gate Inc, Akure, Primate Ademisokun Turton, said
the rejection of the proposed amnesty was a confirmation that a
powerful political class in Northern Nigeria was sponsoring the group.
“I am not surprised that the Boko Haram
has rejected the amnesty plan . It is now clear that their agitation
is political. What they want is either Nigeria breaks up or they rule
it,” Turton said.
Also on Thursday, the Shehu of Borno,
Abubakar El-kanemi, said that amnesty for Boko Haram members would
restore peace and the economic fortunes of the North.
El-kanemi stated this while briefing
journalists at the opening of the 2nd Borgu International Gani-Durbar
Festival in New Bussa, Niger State.
According to him, the people of the North are optimistic that the amnesty will bring an end to the violence in the North.
He said, “We are happy that the
President has deemed it appropriate to set up a committee to work out
the modalities for the process.You know we have been talking about the
amnesty for long. We came out with the suggestion before. But we are
happy that the Federal Government has agreed with our proposal.
“We are happy that a committee had been
set up and we are waiting for the Federal Government. We understand that
in a few weeks, the report will be submitted.’’
Meanwhile, the Federal Government has
said it is not favourably disposed to joining issues with Boko Haram
over its rejection of amnesty.
A competent top government official,
who disclosed this said the thinking in government circle was that
it was not right to engage the sect in a media war.
“We have seen the report. We are not
going to engage the sect in the media. We will just wait patiently and
see how it plays out,” he said.
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