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.
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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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.
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.
