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Abubakar Shekau and President Jonathan
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BY: OUR REPORTERS
LAGOS — “WE are seeking forgiveness from the people over the
number of people killed in the country.
I appeal to those who lost their loved ones to our
activities to forgive us and on our side we have forgiven all those who
committed atrocities against us. I want
to state clearly that we have no hands in the unfortunate attack on the
secondary school (Government Secondary School, Mamudo, Yobe State).”
With these words, Imam Muhammadu Marwana, an influential
member of the Abubakar Shekau-led Boko Haram sect, yesterday, confirmed a
ceasefire agreement with the Federal Government to end their deadly activities
across most states of Northern Nigeria, which have claimed about 4,000 lives
and destroyed properties worth billions of Naira since 2009.
The agreement came exactly 82 days after the Federal
Government raised a 25-man committee to work out modalities for granting the
amnesty to the sect.
Indeed, the Federal Government, yesterday, said that it had
signed a ceasefire agreement with the militant group. Minister of Special
Duties and Chairman of the Peace and Dialogue Committee in the North, Alhaji Tanimu Turaki announced the ceasefire
agreement on the Hausa service of Radio France International monitored in Kano
The announcement came on the eve of the Muslim Holy month of Ramadan expected to
commence today throughout the world and also coincided with a vehement denial
by the insurgents that they had no hands in the
murder of 30 boarding students of a secondary school in Yobe weekend.
Although details of the peace deal were scanty, Turaki who
spoke in Hausa further said that the Boko Haram insurgents had agreed to lay
down their arms.
“We have sat down and agreed that Jama’atu Ahlul Sunnah
Lidda’awati wal Jihad, known as Boko Haram will lay down their arms as part of
the agreement so as to end the insurgency. Government agreed with ceasefire and
will look into ways to ensure that the troops relax their activities till the
final take off of the ceasefire,” Turaki told his interviewers.
Confirming the truce, Imam Muhammadu Marwana said: “This
ceasefire, in sha’Allahu, from the time I am talking to you (Radio France Hausa
Service) we have ceasefire because of the discussion held so as to have peace
over this struggle.”
The Boko Haram stalwart added that “we are seeking
forgiveness from the people over the number of people killed in the country.
Sounding apologetic during the Radio news, Imam Marwana
declared that “I appeal to those who lost their loved ones to our activities to
forgive us and on our side we have forgiven all those who committed atrocities
against us”
He added that “I want to state clearly that we have no hands
in the unfortunate attack on the secondary school.”
How the agreement was reached
A member of the presidential committee, which President
Godluck Jonathan gave 90 days to hammer out a solution to the problem told
Vanguard how the agreement was brokered. He said “Shekau’s leadership came out
through several fronts and set traps for us. The government gave them
confidence, the confidence led to trust and they said they will call their men
to cease-fire and they have done so.”
Mixed reactions trail move
Meanwhile, Nigerians have received news of the truce with
cautious optimism
A step in the right direction—Gani Adams
National Coordinator of the Oodua Peoples Congress, OPC,
Otunba Gani Adams said it was a step in the right direction. Iin a telephone
chat with Vanguard, he said: “It is a step in the right direction and I think
from there, they will create room to dialogue with the Federal Government and
state their position.
They cannot continue to waste lives just like that. I don’t
know what they stand for but no matter what they stand for, their approach is
wrong and deadly. Nobody in the world will support their struggle. But calling
for a ceasefire will afford Nigerians the opportunity to know exactly what they
want.”
Identity of the group should be ascertained — Afenifere
Also, Pan-Yoruba socio-political organisation, Afenifere was
of the view that the identity of the group calling for ceasefire should be
ascertained. Speaking with Vanguard on phone, Afenifere’s National Publicity
Secretary, Mr Yinka Odumakin said “We should be sure which of the Boko Haram
sect is calling for a ceasefire. Is it a strategy to rule or what is it all
about?
The identity of the group should be ascertained and its
genuineness should be known before the Federal Government is taken off guard.
Since emergency was declared in those three states (Yobe, Adamawa and Borno),
the incidence of bombings has gone down but killings continue here and there.
So, we must know how genuine the call is and the identity of the group calling
for the ceasefire. Was it not Boko Haram that said it was the Federal
Government that needed amnesty?”.
Govt should reciprocate —Balarabe Musa
In his reaction, former governor of Kaduna State, Alhaji
Balarabe Musa expressed optimism that the ceasefire will resolve the
insurgency.
“We hope that the Federal Government will respond favourably
and effectively to the ceasefire,” he said.
Committee should not concede unnecessarily—Frederick Fasehun
“Nigeria has been on the issue of amnesty for long and if
they have agreed on a ceasefire, that is commendable. I see it as a roadmap to
peace. I hope the committee does the follow-up to this very well. But the
committee should go on with their negotiations and should not concede
unnecessarily.”
Committee should go on with its mandate—Abubakar Tsav
Former Lagos State Commissioner of Police, Alhaji Abubakar
Tsav, on his part said: “The development is very encouraging. I am happy about
it and I commend the committee for doing a good job. The committee should go on
with its mandate in order to achieve a lasting peace. The committee should be
encouraged the more at this stage to conclude its job.”
FG must rise to the occasion—Arewa Youths
Commenting on the development, President, Arewa Youth
Consultative Forum, Alhaji Yerima Shetima said in spite of the ceasefire, the
Federal Government must address the issues that led to the insurgency.
Shetima said: “Whether they cease fire or not, the truth of
the matter is that Nigerians must rise to the occasion. Last year, it was the
same story we heard when they called for a ceasefire and still, they unleashed
a lot of mayhem in Northern Nigeria.
Also, we must appreciate the fact that the whole of Northern
Nigeria has been bastardised because everybody is now a member of Boko Haram.
If they call for a ceasefire, what about the remaining factions? This does not
mean that the Federal Government must go to sleep, the insurgency must be
condemned totally.”
How sect’s activities assumed deadly dimension
THE Jama’atu Allus Sunnah Lilda wati Wal Jihad, also known
as Boko Haram, (Western education is sin), came into existence in the 1960s but
survived through the decades under various names.
However, it started drawing attention to itself in 2002,
when Mohammed Yusuf became its leader. In 2004, it moved to Kanamma, Yobe
State, where it set up a base called ‘Afghanistan’ from where it attacked
nearby police stations, killing police officers.
In July 2009, the Nigeria Police started investigating Boko
Haram, following reports that the group was arming itself. Yusuf, the leader
and others, were arrested and on July 30, 2009 allegations were made that Yusuf
was extra-judicially killed by Nigerian security forces after being taken into
custody.
The development invigorated deadly clashes with Nigerian
security forces and attacks on churches, public institutions and military
facilities, among others, which have led to the death of about 3,500 people.
Litany of attacks Before the clashes, many Muslim leaders,
and at least one military official, had warned the authorities about Boko
Haram. Those warnings were reportedly ignored.
According to Human Rights Watch, between July and December
2010, at least 85 people were killed in some 35 separate attacks in four states
in northern and central Nigeria, as well as in Abuja, the nation’s capital.
Attacks attributed to Boko Haram in 2011 left at least 550 people dead in 115
separate incidents.
Between January and December 2012, Boko Haram-related
attacks occurred in 14 of the country‘s 36 states, including all the 12 states
that have already adopted Sharia Islamic law, Plateau State and in the Federal
Capital Territory, Abuja.
Violence blamed on Boko Haram, which said it wants to create
an Islamic state in Nigeria, has killed more than 900 people in 2012, in about
290 separate attacks in 12 north-eastern and central states, and Abuja, making
2012 the deadliest year since the group began its attacks in 2009. And in 2013,
about 250 people have been killed in Boko Haram-related attacks and incidents.
The litany of attacks include those of the United Nations
Office, Abuja, Police Headquarters, Abuja, the building housing ThisDay
Newspapers, Sun Newspapers and Daily Trust in Abuja, St. Theresa’s Catholic
Church, Madalla, Niger State, Deeper Life Bible Church, Okene; Military
Cantonment, Jaji, Special Anti-Robbery Squad (SARS) office and other numerous
security facilities, especially police stations.
The security agencies also went on counter-offensive
arresting, detaining and in many instances, killing Boko Haram members and
leaders.
Disturbed by the escalating violence many northern leaders
and groups, including the Arewa Consultative Forum, ACF, urged government to
dialogue with the group to end the killings.
A picture taken from a video distributed to journalists in
recent days through intermediaries and obtained by AFP on March 5, 2013
reportedly shows Abubakar Shekau, the suspected leader of Nigerian Islamist
extremist group Boko Haram, flanked by six armed and hooded fighters at an
undisclosed place.
Last November, the group gave the government conditions for
ending the hostilities. Acclaimed spokesman of the group, Abu Mohammed Ibn
Abdulazeez, in a tele-conference with journalists in Maiduguri, stated that if
the state and the Federal Government wanted the group to cease-fire completely,
then former Borno State governor, Ali Modu Sheriff, must be arrested and
prosecuted according to the laws of the land. He also said that the government
should compensate the group and rebuild their places of worship which were
destroyed during the 2009 uprising.
He pointed out that for dialogue to take place, it must be
through the following elders: Dr. Shettima Ali Monguno; former Head of State,
General Muhammadu Buhari; former Yobe State governor, Bukar Abba Ibrahim;
Ambassador Gaji Galtimari and Barr Aisha Alkali Wakil and her husband, Barr
Alkali Wakil, insisting that the dialogue must take place in Saudi Arabia.
Abu Abdulazeez also said that the group had mandated five
members who are to mediate on their behalf; they include himself (Abu Mohammed
Abdulazeez), Abu Abbas, Sheikh Ibrahim Yusuf, Sheikh Sani Kontagora and Mamman
Nur.
Buhari later distanced himself from the group and the
Federal Government said it could not negotiate with pre-conditions, thus the
crisis festered. With the latest decision of the group to sheathe its swords,
it is hoped that all stakeholders will play their required roles for normalcy
to return to the country.
Porous ceasefire
However, a peace deal was brokered on January 28, 2013 after
a marathon meeting between some leaders of the group, which has been
terrorizing some states in the North, particularly Borno State, since July 2009,
and the Borno State Government, led by Governor Kashim Shettima with other top
government officials and religious leaders from the state in attendance.
The cease-fire came after a 42-month multi-pronged attack
unleashed on the polity by the sect.
Briefing newsmen after the marathon meeting in Maiduguri,
Sheikh Abu Mohammad Abdulazeez Ibn Idris, a commander of Boko Haram in-charge
of North and Central Borno, said after due consultation with the leader of the
sect, Shiekh Abubakar Shekau, as well as intervention and pleadings from
respected individuals and groups in the state, we ‘’have all come to terms and
agreed to lay down our arms.”
The Boko Haram Commander, however, insisted that government
should immediately release all their members from custody unconditionally,
re-build their places of worship and compensate them, among other demands.
Sheikh Abdulazeez said that, the sect observed that during
the lingering insurgency, many Muslim women and children had suffered untold
hardship, adding that, they also decided to lay down their arms for peace to
reign in Borno State and the country at large.
“I am appealing and calling on all our members through this
medium to lay down their arms henceforth, till further notice,” Abdulazeez
stated.
However, a few hours after the cease-fire, a faction of the
sect distanced itself from the peace-deal and accelerated its deadly attacks,
which have claimed about 250 lives since then.
The search for peace took President Goodluck Jonathan to
Borno and Yobe states last month. The series of parleys during the two-day
visit did not yield amnesty as President Jonathan insisted that the Federal
Government could not grant amnesty to ghosts. He urged leaders of Boko Haram to
come out of their hiding and dialogue with government as was done in the Niger
Delta before amnesty could be granted.
The matter was on the front burner this week following the
exchange of brick-bat between Buhari and the Presidency. While Buhari accused
the Presidency of being responsible for ‘political Boko Haram’ and should take
responsibility for the escalating mayhem, the Presidency countered that Buhari
was responsible because he threatened to make the country ungovernable if he
lost the 2011 polls.
The government asked Buhari to act like a patriot and get
Boko Haram leaders to embrace dialogue. Buhari refused and advised the
government to carry its cross.
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