Saturday, April 13, 2013

Conflicting Responses to Rejection of Amnesty by Boko Haram in Nigeria

Amnesty For BOKO HARAM: Northern Elders, Kukah Urge Govt To Continue

FRIDAY, 12 APRIL 2013 20:35
BY SAMSON EZEA NEWS
Nigerian Guardian

FOLLOWING the Boko Haram sect’s rejection of the amnesty proposal by the Federal Government on Thursday, a prominent member of the Northern Elders’ Forum (NEF), Prof Ango Abdullahi, Friday advised the Federal Government to note the rejection but continue with the proposed amnesty.

However, leader of the Northern Civil Society Coalition, Mallam Shehu Sani, has blamed the Federal Government, for the rejection of the amnesty.

Speaking with The Guardian, Abdullahi stressed that the government should learn lesson from late President Umaru Musa Yar Adua’s approach to the amnesty his government granted to the militants in Niger Delta region.

He said: “It would be recalled that when late Yar’Adua’s government offered amnesty to the Niger Delta militants, some of the militants rejected it, while some were dilly-dallying. But the government did not give up on the approach as it continued to appeal to them to lay down their arms and embrace peace.

“That was the situation before some of the militants started responding positively to the offer. With the government setting out a deadline for the laying down of arms, some militants that rejected the offer initially accepted it when they realized that government meant well.

“Government should not be daunted with the rejection, because it is expected initially especially when they are not sure of how genuine government’s offer is.”

Abdullahi averred that the offer and its rejection was the beginning of dialogue between the sect and government.

“I don’t think the rejection is a denial of dialogue. It is better for government to offer the amnesty and let the sect reject it. The world will see that government is not the problem,” he said.

In his reaction, Catholic Bishop of Sokoto Diocese, Rev. (Dr) Matthew Kukah linked the Boko Haram rejection of the offer to what late Afrobeat legend, Fela Anikulapo- Kuti would call Shakara.

He said that since the Federal Government has presented the issue as one involving government, its security agencies and Boko Haram, the rejection is part of the posturing.

“In conflict situations, combatants cannot resolve their problems because if they could, they would not be at war in the first place. I think we would have been having a slightly different conversation if there was the perception that other interlocutors are involved, even outside Nigeria.

“But if the government continues to stand toe-to-toe with Boko Haram, it will not work so easily. What is more, the government has not shown any sign that it is engaging many of the victims and this is why the Borno visit should have been preceded by this initiative,” Kukah said.

On the setting up of committee by the government, Kukah said that it is a case of putting the cart before the horse.

He said: “It is like a man who went to a doctor, he said, ‘I am not well’, and the doctor says, ‘you are imagining things’. Suddenly, I show signs of real sickness and now you are telling me to come for medical test.

“Government must be commended though for stepping back. The government has gained some moral capital and it now depends on whether it has the diplomatic skills to spend this moral capital wisely by rejecting the temptation to score points.”

On insinuations in some quarters that nothing good will come out of the amnesty offer, the Catholic bishop stressed that God draws straight with crooked lines.

“I am an Easter Christian and I know that these dry bones called Nigeria will rise again. All these trials, including the seeming stupidity of Boko Haram, are not outside God’s plans. It depends on whether we have the patience, honesty, sincerity and courage to get on top of this situation.

“But that will not happen if the security agencies continue to push the President under the table in the Villa. There is such a thing as Presidential courage (Kim Il un is showing a bit of that in a bizarre manner in North Korea), but a President and Commander-in- Chief has to be a Commander-in-Chief even it means walking on fire.

“I know a man, a big man from Rivers State and I will not mention his name. When he went to visit a girl he saw and loved, the young lady vanished for three days from the village at the sight of him. She came back after three days hoping he had gone and found that he was still waiting. They have been married now for over 40 years. The wife told the story herself.

“Things take time and some things take longer time. We need new tactics, patience, prayer and imagination. Nothing is impossible, but the President must not think that the solution lies with the security agencies and the inner caucus of this party. Nigeria is hemorrhaging badly.

“Fixing Boko Haram cannot be separated from fixing our roads, railways, health services, electricity and other hallmarks of our corruption. Boko Haram is merely a grandchild of our corruption,” Kukah said.

While reacting to the development yesterday, Sani said: “Well, I am not surprised. In fact, it should be expected that they (Boko Haram leaders) should reject it because the government has put the horse before the cart. First and foremost, the whole idea of amnesty is a charade.

“The concept brought by Northern elders is an amnesty modeled along the line of Niger Delta and it is attached to financial commitment from the side of the state. They wanted to buy peace at a heavy amount of money just the way it is being brought about in the Niger Delta.

“The committee being set up by the government would naturally be rejected by Boko Haram because it was not constituted after a consultation with the leaders of the sect.”

Sani, who is also the President of Civil Rights Congress, (CRC) explained: “The whole idea is about extracting billions of naira to be shared to insurgents and also giving out contracts, using the names of Boko Haram leaders.

“They simply rejected being used by some persons who want to profit from the amnesty deal. The way forward is for the government to go back to Dr. Ahmed Datti Ahmed peace talk, which was facilitated by a journalist, Ahmad Salkida of which the group acknowledged and endorsed at that very time.

“The outcome of that talk should then be preceded by a committee which will have the input of the sect and also be recognised by the government. The next stage will then be a six to eight or nine-month ceasefire, which will ensure justice for all the victims of Boko Haram.”

Sani also spoke of his effort to mediate between the leaders of the sect and government, which led to the intervention of former President Olusegun Obasanjo, saying that the security advisers to President Goodluck Jonathan frustrated the peace move.


Borno Justice Commissioner Begs Boko Haram To Accept Amnesty

FRIDAY, 12 APRIL 2013 20:27 FROM NJADVARA MUSA, MAIDUGURI

THOUGH some politicians and elders in Borno State refused to comment on the rejection of amnesty by the Boko Haram sect on Wednesday, the State’s Attorney-General and Commissioner of Justice, Barrister Kaka Shehu Lawan, has however appealed to the Islamists sect to “reconsider its position” of rejecting amnesty in the interest of peace and dialogue with the Federal Government.

Speaking in a telephone interview in Maiduguri Friday, the attorney general said: “the Boko Haram sect should consider its position on rejecting amnesty. I still appeal to the sect to reconsider their position in the interest of peace and dialogue with Federal Government,” adding that the sect leader, Abubakar Shekau, should accept the amnesty being announced by the Federal Government.

Lawan, in the texted SMS to The Guardian, called on the Federal Government to be: “just and sincere on the subject matter of amnesty.” He said for the amnesty to be fully accepted by the Boko Haram, there should be “transparency” on the part of Federal Government.

The Borno state chairman of People’s Democratic Party (PDP), Alhaji Baba Basharu and Senator Mohammed Ali Ndume, representing Borno South Senatorial District at the National Assembly did not respond to the Boko Haram’s rejection of amnesty as at the time of filing this report. The text to Basharu and Ndume on the amnesty rejection reads in part: “Sir, what is your response to the Boko Haram’s rejection of amnesty by the Federal Government of last Thursday?”


Bishop Cautions Jonathan On Amnesty

FRIDAY, 12 APRIL 2013 20:28 FROM LEO SOBECHI, ABAKALIKI NEWS

THE Bishop of Abakaliki Diocese of the Methodist Church, Rt. Rev. Godfrey Agupusi, has cautioned President Goodluck Jonathan to ensure that the Federal Government was not endorsing violence as the only language it understands through the consideration of amnesty for Boko Haram insurgents.

The former Ebonyi State chairman of the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) also urged President Jonathan to address the problem of imbalance in the establishment of federal presence in some states like Ebonyi, saying that such lopsidedness feeds the impression of marginalisation.

Bishop Agupusi dropped these hints in Abakaliki while speaking to journalists shortly after the 19th Annual Synod of Methodist Church of Nigeria, Abakaliki Diocese at Akwurukwu Agba, in Ishielu Local Council of the state. The theme of the synod was “What if the Lord had not been on our side?”

He declared that President Jonathan should be careful about of amnesty to the Boko Haram sect since, according to him, amnesty should be considered only on the condition that those behind Boko Haram are known and dialogued with.

While noting with regret that the Boko Haram insurgents have caused havoc to the socio-economic life of the country, the Methodist prelate maintained that amnesty should be granted to any group, including Boko Haram, only when the group was ready for dialogue.

He added: “Amnesty should not be abused by Boko Haram and other groups; if the only language Nigeria (government) understands and responds to is violence; other ethnic groups should be encouraged to eschew violence so that it does not become a pattern.”

In a statement issued and made available to The Guardian, the synod in its resolution called on the Ministry of Education and other relevant bodies in charge of education to intensify efforts in the areas of supervision and teachers’ posting, saying “this will not only improve educational standard but also ensure that there are teachers in schools and that they are carrying out their duties properly.”

Part of the statement read: “The synod appreciates the National Assembly for the revelation of the Oil Block Saga and urged them not to relent until full investigation is carried out as that is a proof of true democracy in Nigeria. We congratulate Nigerians on the centenary celebration and for staying together as one nation despite the security challenges facing the country.”

The synod commended Ebonyi State Governor, Martin Elechi, on his efforts at providing dividends of democracy to the people of the state even as it urged him to do more.


Presidential Contest Caused Boko Haram Insurgency, Says Cleric

FRIDAY, 12 APRIL 2013 20:21 FROM NIYI BELLO, AKURE NEWS

THE newly-elected President of the Council of Unification of Cherubim and Seraphim Churches, Primate Ade Ademisokun Turton, has identified the cause of the Boko Haram insurgency in the northern part of Nigeria as the “the politics of presidential contest”.

The cleric, who made this known in Akure, Ondo State capital Friday, said “If president Goodluck Jonathan declares today that he is not interested in a second term of office, these terrorists would be demobilised immediately.”

He justified his assertion by the rejection of the Federal Government amnesty proposal by the dreaded sect, which had slaughtered over 2000 Nigerians.

Turton, who is the founder of the popular Success Gate C&S Ministry in Akure, alleged that the northern political elite are the ones behind the Boko Haram insurgency with the sole aim of recapturing the presidency.

According to Turton, who addressed a press conference with other leaders of the C&S movement to herald the inauguration of the council with the mandate of unifying all the sects of the movement, it has become an historical fact in Nigeria to use violence to attain the presidency.

He said: “It was the intrigue and the fight that greeted the annulment of the June 12, 1983, election that led to the emergence of Obasanjo, a Yoruba, as president in 1999 and the armed militancy in the creeks of Niger Delta that produced Jonathan, an Ijaw as the current president.

“So naturally, the north too is foisting its own violence on the country even though they hide under the cloak of religion by killing Christians. The north is using violence to reclaim power.”

On whether it is desirable to offer amnesty to the insurgents as proposed by the Federal Government to achieve peace, the cleric said, “it is obvious that you don’t give amnesty to faceless people.

“The president wants a second term so he will give them amnesty and even send them abroad for training with tax payers’ money for those that they have killed to die in vain. But at the end of the day, Nigeria will suffer greatly.”

Asked if what he was saying was a prediction of things to come, Turton said: “It is not a prediction but certainty. Predictions can change, but certainties will not. This country will suffer for spilling the blood of the innocent on the altar of politics.”

He said Nigerian leaders have committed so many sins against the citizens that the country ought to have been broken up by now if not for the roles of religion in the society.

According to him, “apart from praying for this country, religion is the one holding Nigerians back from turning violent. We assuage their feelings and give them hope that things would be better. And for those who are totally.” hopeless, we tell them to wait for the hereafter.

He added: “Can anybody contain the anger of a graduate of 10 years who is still being fed by his/her parents? But we tell him better days are coming and that keeps him going. We visit lepers, old people and the infirm. We take care of abandoned children and do a lot of things government should do. Take religion out of this country and all hell will break loose.”

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