BOKO HARAM AMNESTY: Emirs insist deal must go on despite amnesty rejection by Boko Haram

DESPITE extending an olive branch of amnesty deal to the Boko Haram, the sect has rejected the idea of any potential soft landing.

The leader of the sect, Abubakar Shekau, in an audio recording released to the media on Thursday, said the group had not done anything wrong that required amnesty, saying it was the sect that should have granted the Nigerian government a pardon.

Shekau maintained that the sect’s aim is to avenge the killings of Musilms and the “destruction of their religion.”

But the Northern Traditional Rulers Council is insisting that the federal government should still offer amnesty to members of the sect, who are willing to embrace peace and reintegration into the larger society.

The council made the call in a resolution after it’s meeting held at the palace of the Sultan of Sokoto, His Eminence, Muhammed Sa’ad Abubakar III.

In the statement issued by the coordinating secretary of the council and Emir of Kazaure, Alhaji Najib Hussaini Adamu, the group of traditional rulers from the North called for decisive action from the federal government to curb the “unfortunate escalation of insecurity in the country.”

The statement stated that: “The meeting calls on the Federal Government to consider dialogue as the better option in resolving the crises. To this end, the federal government is called upon to reconsider its stand and offer amnesty to the insurgents who embrace the path of peace, reformation and reintegration with the larger society. This is the norm the world over and there exists a precedent in Nigeria.”

It further noted that the violence was not targeted at non-Muslims as the majority of the victims were Muslims, saying attempts on the lives of Emir of Kano, Shehu of Borno and Emir of Fika were testimonies to this fact.

The Northern Traditional Rulers Council expressed their condolences with families who have lost their relatives in the campaign of violence launched by Boko Haram.

In Kano, Governor Rabiu Kwankwaso while receiving members of the Arewa Consultative Forum’s executive council at the government house, during the group’s visit to commiserate with the state government over the recent suicide bomb attack that claimed several lives in the state capital argued that a lot of the challenges currently facing the country today are caused by the uneven distribution of resources among all sections of the country by the government, lamenting that even appointments and political patronage are not as balanced as they should be.

Kwankwaso said he has spoken consistently on the onshore/offshore dichotomy debate and, lately, the Petroleum Industry Bill (PIB), adding that his aim had always been to secure justice and to ensure that parts of the country that already have enough are not given priority over the deprived ones.

He called on federal legislators from the North to strive to ensure that justice and fairness prevail with regard to the PIB currently before the National Assembly, as well as other issues, in order to overcome the challenges facing the country. The federal government, he added, must also work towards ensuring impartiality among all sections of the country.

On the security problem in some Northern states, Governor Kwankwaso attributed this to poverty and collapse of family and societal values among others, pointing out that governments and other stakeholders in the region have to do more collectively to address the crisis, so that peace and progress do not continue to elude the region.

The governor, therefore, urged the ACF to pay more attention to the dire situation prevalent in Northern states like begging and drug abuse, mainly among the youth, pointing out that the organization has a vital role to play in mobilizing the people and governments in the region to do what is right.

He promised that his administration will continue to do its best in meeting the yearnings and aspirations of the citizenry, adding that it will also continue to collaborate with ACF to achieve its goals.

ACF chairman, Alhaji Aliko Muhammad, lamented the current security situation in the country, arguing that Boko Haram and Ansaru have remained faceless largely because “governments have not put any mechanism on ground to assure the sects that they would not be arrested and dealt with by security agencies”.

According to Muhammad who holds the traditional title, Dan Iyan Misau, the clamour for amnesty is premised on the realisation that the region would thrive only in an atmosphere of peace. He noted, however, that the position of the ACF and many other Nigerians in favour of dialogue with the sects is informed by the “fact of history” that force alone has never succeeded in bringing terrorism under control anywhere on earth.

In recent weeks, religious, political and traditional leaders in Northern Nigeria have called for amnesty for the sect, while President Goodluck Jonathan has formed a committee to discuss a possible deal.

Nigeria began to witness the terror reign of Boko Haram sect since 2009, with the government blaming the sect for dozens of deadly bombings and shootings in Northern Nigeria. Human Rights Watch says the Boko Haram-related violence has killed over 3,000 people, a toll that inlcudes killings by security forces.

Meanwhile, on Thursday, the police said suspected Islamic extremists attacked a police station in the North Eastern part of the country, killing four officers.

The overnight attack occurred in the village of Babban Gida in Yobe State, while police officials said five of the gunmen were also shot dead.