Northern Elders Express Mixed Feelings Over Ceasefire Deal
Written by Saxone Akhaine, Kaduna
Nigerian Guardian
SOME elders in the north have said that the decision by the federal government and the insurgent Boko Haram Islamic sect to end the prolonged hostilities would bring the region and the country back to sound socio-economic path.
The various northern leaders, who reacted to the deal said to have been struck in Saudi Arabia, included former governor of Kaduna State and opposition leader, Alhaji Balarabe Musa; spokesman of the Northern Delegates Forum (NDF) at the recent national conference, Mr. Anthony Sani; and the Secretary of the Civil Rights Congress (CRC), Comrade Nasir Abbas.
Although they agreed that the action was belated, coming after so much destruction of lives and property in the north, they said the truce was a welcome development, considering the country’s match towards next year’s general elections and the clamour for the release of the Chibok schoolgirls.
Besides, Musa lamented the horror the country had passed through since the fight against Boko Haram, saying: “If it is true that both the government and Boko Haram have reached a ceasefire in Saudi Arabia, then it means they have agreed to put an end to the mess they have put Nigeria into.
“If it is true that they both agreed, then the conspirators of the insecurity in Nigeria have now agreed to stop the insurgency in Nigeria for their own interests.”
However, Sani, who until recently was the National Publicity Secretary of the Arewa Conservative Forum (ACF), argued further: “If it is true that there has been truce between the military and Boko Haram, that there should be ceasefire and the release of Chibok girls, then that is good news.
“The good news is not just for the girls and their families, but also to Nigerians who have been looking forward to whether there would be order and peaceful coexistence needed for positive socio-economic development in Nigeria.”
Abbas highlighted the efforts the leader of the group, Mallam Shehu Sani, had made in the past to ensure an end to the insurgency in the country, adding: “On each occasion, some military contractors ensured that there was no success recorded.
“I hope the Saudi Arabia ceasefire deal would succeed, at least for Nigerians to have a respite over the crisis that have turned the north and the country in general upside down.”
Many doubt the authenticity of the deal and credibility of the Boko Haram representative(s) that negotiated the deal.
A foreign newspaper quoted Shehu Sani as saying: “I have never heard of such a man and if Boko Haram wanted to declare a ceasefire, it would come from the group’s leader, Abubakar Shekau.”
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| Boko Haram suspects arrested earlier in 2014. |
Nigerian Guardian
SOME elders in the north have said that the decision by the federal government and the insurgent Boko Haram Islamic sect to end the prolonged hostilities would bring the region and the country back to sound socio-economic path.
The various northern leaders, who reacted to the deal said to have been struck in Saudi Arabia, included former governor of Kaduna State and opposition leader, Alhaji Balarabe Musa; spokesman of the Northern Delegates Forum (NDF) at the recent national conference, Mr. Anthony Sani; and the Secretary of the Civil Rights Congress (CRC), Comrade Nasir Abbas.
Although they agreed that the action was belated, coming after so much destruction of lives and property in the north, they said the truce was a welcome development, considering the country’s match towards next year’s general elections and the clamour for the release of the Chibok schoolgirls.
Besides, Musa lamented the horror the country had passed through since the fight against Boko Haram, saying: “If it is true that both the government and Boko Haram have reached a ceasefire in Saudi Arabia, then it means they have agreed to put an end to the mess they have put Nigeria into.
“If it is true that they both agreed, then the conspirators of the insecurity in Nigeria have now agreed to stop the insurgency in Nigeria for their own interests.”
However, Sani, who until recently was the National Publicity Secretary of the Arewa Conservative Forum (ACF), argued further: “If it is true that there has been truce between the military and Boko Haram, that there should be ceasefire and the release of Chibok girls, then that is good news.
“The good news is not just for the girls and their families, but also to Nigerians who have been looking forward to whether there would be order and peaceful coexistence needed for positive socio-economic development in Nigeria.”
Abbas highlighted the efforts the leader of the group, Mallam Shehu Sani, had made in the past to ensure an end to the insurgency in the country, adding: “On each occasion, some military contractors ensured that there was no success recorded.
“I hope the Saudi Arabia ceasefire deal would succeed, at least for Nigerians to have a respite over the crisis that have turned the north and the country in general upside down.”
Many doubt the authenticity of the deal and credibility of the Boko Haram representative(s) that negotiated the deal.
A foreign newspaper quoted Shehu Sani as saying: “I have never heard of such a man and if Boko Haram wanted to declare a ceasefire, it would come from the group’s leader, Abubakar Shekau.”
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