In a curious turn of events, the Boko Haram Islamist sect has rejected the offer of amnesty to it, saying that it has not done anything wrong to be granted amnesty, and it is the Nigerian government that should receive amnesty offer from it.
This was contained in an audio message by its leader, Sheikh AbubakarShekau and released to the media on Thursday, in which he maintained that the position of his sect was to “avenge the killing of Muslims and the destruction of their religion.”
However, the Northern Traditional Rulers Council is still insisting that the Federal Government should offer the amnesty to members of the sect willing to embrace peace and reintegration into the society.
This resolution was arrived at by the Council after a meeting held at the palace of the Sultan of Sokoto, His Eminence, MuhammadSa’adAbubakar III.
In a statement issued by the secretary of the council and Emir of Kazaure, AlhajiNajibHussainiAdamu, the group of royal fathers called for decisive action from the Federal Government to deal with the unfortunate escalation of insecurity in the country.
“The meeting calls on the Federal Government to consider dialogue as the better option in resolving the crises. To this end, the federal government is called upon to reconsider its stand and offer amnesty to the insurgents who embrace the path of peace, reformation and reintegration with the larger society. This is the norm the world over and there exists a precedent in Nigeria,” the statement said.
It further noted that non-Muslims were not the only victims, but also Muslims, giving the attempts on the lives of Emir of Kano, Shehu of Borno and Emir of Fika were testimonies to this fact.
The Northern Traditional Rulers Council expressed their condolences with families who have lost their relatives in the campaign of violence launched by Boko Haram.
Also, the pan-Northern socio-political group, the Arewa Consultative Forum (ACF) has also urged the government to grant amnesty to the Islamists, saying that the clamour for amnesty is premised on the realisation that the region would thrive only in an atmosphere of peace.
The chairman of the Forum, Alhaji Aliko Mohammed, who made this statement in Kano while visiting the state governor, Rabi’u Kwankwaso to commiserate with him on the recent suicide bomb attack in the state capital which claimed scores of lives, said that the position of the ACF and many other Nigerians in favour of dialogue with the sects is informed by the “fact of history” that force alone has never succeeded in bringing terrorism under control anywhere on earth.
In recent weeks, religious, political and traditional leaders in Northern Nigeria have called for amnesty for the sect, while President Goodluck Jonathan has formed a committee to discuss a possible deal.
Nigeria began to witness the terror reign of Boko Haram sect since 2009, with the government blaming the sect for dozens of deadly bombings and shootings in Northern Nigeria. Human Rights Watch says the Boko Haram-related violence has killed over 3,000 people, a toll that includes killings by security forces.
Meanwhile, on Thursday, the police said suspected Islamic extremists attacked a police station in the North Eastern part of the country, killing four officers.