PRESIDENT Goodluk Jonathan on Thursday told the people of Borno State
with links to members of the Islamic sect, Boko Haram, to ask them to
come out of hiding before the government can consider dialogue and
possible amnesty programme for them.
Speaking while on a courtesy visit to the Shehu of Borno, Alhaji Ibn
Abubakar Umar Garbai El-Kanemi, in his palace in Maiduguri, the
president counseled that the situation which led to the amnesty granted
to Niger Delta militants could not be compared with that of faceless
Boko Haram.
His assertion followed the request of the traditional ruler for
amnesty for the insurgents who, he said, had offered a ceasefire just as
it was done in the Niger Delta.
It will be recalled that the Sultan of Sokoto, Alhaji (Dr) Sa’ad
Abubakar, had called on the Federal Government to offer amnesty to the
dreaded Islamic set.
But the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) and a Pan-Yoruba
social group, Afenifere, condemned the call by the Sultan, saying his
reasons for the call were not tenable and should, therefore, be
rejected.
CAN had argued that the sect had no definite grievances with the
government or members of the public, a reason, it said, members of the
sect were not qualified for amnesty.
The president however said, “before you discuss amnesty, you must
know the people you are discussing with. Presently, the Boko Haram are
still operating as ghosts. They go and create havoc and disappear.”
Talking about the comparison with Niger Delta militants, Jonathan
said: “What I am saying is that if you call them, the leaders will come
out and they will tell you, this is our problem that is why we are doing
this, you do this, we can do that.
“So, there was a dialogue, there was a discussion and you know you
are talking with human beings. They may be sincere, they may not be
sincere, but at least you have some confidence that you are seeing the
people. But in this case of Boko Haram they still have no face and you
cannot declare amnesty.”
Jonathan noted that even with Niger Delta militants who are known,
there were still challenges with the amnesty programme how much more for
Boko Haram who are not known.
“Amnesty has some kind of components that your sins are forgiven you;
for the crimes you have committed, government will no longer prosecute
you and of course, government will help you one way or the other.
“So we want that kind of dialogue but they must have an identity, they must come out otherwise, we can’t even discuss it.”
Jonathan told his host that he was in the state to interact with and
reassure the people because of the security challenges they were
experiencing, explaining that he would have been in Borno State much
earlier but for unforeseen delays.
He remarked that the federal government was committed to working with
the state government and the traditional institution to tackle issues
of development which would only be possible in an atmosphere of peace,
saying “we need peace also because sometimes if people are restive,
there will be no development. There must be peace for us to develop.”
Also on Thursday, President Jonathan while addressing stakeholders at
the Wawa hall of the Yobe Government House said he would never treat
any part of the nation with sentiment.
He said he had read in the papers and heard many stories surrounding
his failure to come to Borno and Yobe states since the crisis of Boko
Haram began about four years ago.
According to the president, what the people should understand is
that, whatever happens in any part of Nigeria affects the whole since
people and indigenes of other states are found in all parts of both
states.
He said the issue of him treating other sections of the country with
sentiments is but a wrong assumption, adding that, terrorism, wherever
it happens would not only affect the particular area but the whole
world.
“When some expatriates were kidnapped in Bauchi, I received many
calls from presidents of nations, as such; I, as the President of
Nigeria, I swear an oath to treat every Nigerian equally and to ensure
that all lived in safety. There are a lot of things we have been doing
and are still doing in that regard, which I believe have gone a long way
to solving some of these issues.”
He, however, while responding to many demands of the people who spoke
through their representatives, promised to look into their problems
with a view to alleviating the sufferings of the people particularly, in
the areas of support for widows and orphans of the Boko Haram crisis.
The president also promised to visit Yobe again sometimes in June
this year and that he would ensure that the Federal government did
something about to issues raised by the elders of Yobe led by former
Minister of Finance, Mallam Adamu Ciroma as well as issues raised by
Senator Ahmed Lawan and former governor of Yobe State, Senator Bukar
Abba Ibrahim.
Nigerian Tribune reports that the presence of security personnel
deployed to Yobe State and the intense checks of persons coming in and
out of Yobe State has resulted in anxiety, fear and anger, which the
people decribed as uncalled for, especially for a president they see
with sentiment as neglecting them in their hours of needs, but the
security at the entrance of the state told newsmen that the subjection
of members of the public to serious scrutiny was neccessary due to the
fact that, Yobe and Borno states are the den of terrorist activities in
the northeast.
A stakeholder, Mallam Inusa Nguru told Nigerian Tribune that “we all
thought that the president never liked the people of Yobe state, but
today we are happy to hear from him and we are happy to note that he is
not the type of person portrayed to us earlier.
He said, ‘we raised several issues and the President has promised to
do something about it. We have high hope that all that we have presented
through our representatives will be looked into and solutions will be
made and once again we shall experience the peace we use to have in
Yobe.
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