President Muhammadu Buhari told newsmen on Wednesday that Nigerian authorities were talking to Boko Haram prisoners in their custody and could offer them amnesty if the extremist group hands over more than 200 schoolgirls abducted last year. Buhari added that he was confident “conventional” attacks by the group would be rooted out by November — but cautioned that deadly suicide attacks were likely to continue.
“The few (prisoners) we are holding, we are trying to see whether we can negotiate with them for the release of the Chibok girls,” Buhari said in an interview in Paris during a three-day visit to France. “If the Boko Haram leadership eventually agrees to turn over the Chibok girls to us — the complete number — then we may decide to give them (the prisoners) amnesty.”
Boko Haram fighters stormed a school in the remote northeastern Nigerian town of Chibok on April 14 last year, seizing 276 girls who were preparing for end-of-year exams in an abduction that shocked the world. Fifty-seven escaped, but nothing has been heard of the 219 others since May last year, when about 100 of them appeared in a Boko Haram video, dressed in Muslim attire and reciting the Koran.
Boko Haram leader Abubakar Shekau has since said they have all converted to Islam and been “married off”. Buhari, who has promised to stamp out the group’s bloody six-year insurgency, said the government would not release any prisoners unless it was convinced it could “get the girls in reasonably healthy condition”.
But he cautioned that negotiating with Boko Haram militants was fraught with difficulties. “We are trying to establish if they are bona fide, how useful they are in Boko Haram, have they reached a position of leadership where their absence is of relevance to the operation of Boko Haram?” he said.
‘Occasional bombings’ won’t stop
Boko Haram’s insurgency, which has claimed more than 15,000 lives and forced 1.5 million others out of their homes, has intensified since Buhari came to power on May 29 on the back of a historic election win. While it has lost territory it once controlled in northeastern Nigeria, the group has nevertheless stepped up deadly ambushes in its traditional heartland and across the border in Cameroon and Chad.
In August, Buhari gave a brand new set of military chiefs a three-month deadline to end the insurgency. He said Wednesday he was confident this deadline would be respected — but only on Boko Haram’s “conventional” assaults and not necessarily on the random suicide attacks that have killed hundreds since he took office.
“The main conventional attacks, where Boko Haram use armoured cars they took from Nigerian troops, or mounted machine-guns on pick-ups and so on, we believe by the end of the three months, we will see the back of that,” he said.
“What may not absolutely stop is the occasional bombings by the use of improvised explosive devices,” he cautioned. “We do not expect a 100 percent stoppage of the insurgency.” Click to signup for FREE news updates, latest information and hottest gists everyday
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President, initially said that he would not never negotiate with book haram but the game has changed when the military are gaining ground he turning round to tell us that he has started negotiating with book haram. This is a confirmation of his statement that he will make th country ungovernable for President GEJ.
ReplyDeleteCriminal and lie lie president,na wetin you tell us during your campaign ?
ReplyDeleteMission acomplished nigeria was made ungovernable and now amnesty and sharing of oil money. well done
ReplyDeleteNigerians will soon know who is the founder and financier of the Boko Haram
ReplyDeleteHmmmmm. Bihari! Bihari! Bihari! U are inadvertently dividing this country. Anyway sha, it is good.
ReplyDeleteInstead of him to interrogate them to find out who their sponsores are, he now want to give those monsters amnesty, becos they are his pple. In fact, in think he is d one that told them to surrender so they could get amnesty cos for boko haram members to surrender just like dat without fighting back is something else. God must surely judge u.
ReplyDeleteI always believed Buhari was the brain behind Boko Haram. This is now proof of his involvement with them.
ReplyDeleteWhy is it that the President is sending delegate to the prison to negotiate with BH. They are required to surrender stopped the bloody attacks of innocent people. Because is a northern agender GMB is apart of that initiators hence he is going around to grant them amnesty.
ReplyDeleteMission accomplish. I thought as much when I heard BH now give up the fight by surrendering their weapons. It's all game all these while. If so be it then the blood of the innocent Nigerians killed will be upon you Mr Buhari and those sponsoring them. To give BH amnesty is absolute nonsense. After the killing many, properties destroyed and many homeless and displaced. You want to give such evil doers amnesty. Nigerians should shine their eyes ooooo.
ReplyDeleteWho no know, go know
ReplyDelete