The
Federal Government and fundamentalist Islamic sect, Boko Haram, held a
secret meeting in Senegal a few weeks ago in a bid to end the terrorism
onslaught against the country, SUNDAY PUNCH authoritatively reports.
The
governments of Mali and Senegal played significant roles in the peace
talks with officials of the two West African countries serving as
mediators during the negotiations, our correspondent learnt. Mali and
Senegal have majority Muslim populations and also have mainstream
Islamic groups with strong ties to religious groups in Northern Nigeria.
SUNDAY
PUNCH gathered that the Federal Government team to the meeting was led
by the Minister of Niger Delta Affairs, Godsday Orubebe. Orubebe is one
of President Goodluck Jonathan’s closest associates. The newspaper also
gathered that some senior Boko Haram commanders stood in for the sect. A
very reliable source in government, who pleaded not to be named because
of the sensitive nature of the matter, disclosed that the leaders of
the sect insisted that a ceasefire was only possible if their terms were
met.
Pressed
for more details, the source refused to disclose the terms Boko Haram
gave for ceasefire, adding that the terms were “what the sect has always
demanded.” The terms that Boko Haram has been reported to have given
government for a ceasefire include, the release of their detained
members, the payment of compensation and the rebuilding of their houses
and mosques demolished by government.
The
source said the talks were successful but could not be sustained
because hawks in the military advised President Goodluck Jonathan
against accepting the terms. According to him, the military advised the
President not to give in to the demands of the sect with a promise that
they would deal with the Boko Haram challenge.
Confirming
the meeting in Senegal, the Convener of Coalition of Northern
Politicians, Academics, Professionals and Businessmen, Dr. Junaid
Mohammed, accused the President of double standards. Mohammed said the
President could not claim that the sect was faceless because the Federal
Government had interacted with some of them.
Mohammed
said, “Yes, it is true. The minister travelled to Senegal where, on
prior arrangement with Senegalese and Malian secret services, met some
of the Boko Haram leaders. The Federal Government has been silent about
meeting with leaders of Boko Haram in Senegal.” Mohammed also flayed the
price placed on the heads of leaders of the Boko Haram sect. He said
the military’s action was aimed at frustrating the negotiations.
“After
meeting with these people, you now say you are putting money on their
heads. It is an act of bad faith. The mere fact that there was some kind
of meeting clearly shows that what the military did was an act of bad
faith. The decision to put money on the heads of Boko Haram commanders
was a political decision. The Chief of Army Staff should stop making
political statements.
“It
is dangerous for soldiers to assume the power of taking political
decisions in our democracy. It is also dangerous for the civilian
government to be controlled by the military to an extent that 20 to 25
per cent of the budget expenditure goes to security; an average of one
trillion naira a year. We can’t afford it.”
Similarly,
the Secretary of the Borno State Elders’ Forum, Dr. Bulama Gubio, said
the recent conflicting signals from the Federal Government had left the
North confused. He said while they were hopeful that the Federal
Government would resume negotiations with leaders of the sect, the
announcement of a bounty on their heads had complicated the situation in
Borno and neighbouring states, where Boko Haram attacks had been rife.
He
said, “Right now we are even confused. We don’t know what is happening
again. The Federal Government said they would negotiate with Boko Haram
if they agreed to negotiate. And we have been pleading with these boys
to negotiate with the Federal Government. Now, JTF has put money on the
heads of the people they listed as Boko Haram leaders. The problem is
that the President will say one thing and government agencies will say
another thing. We don’t know what to believe now.
“We
are still pleading with the Federal Government to go ahead and
negotiate with Boko Haram members who have come out to say they want to
negotiate. Government would keep saying they are faceless. The situation
here is bad. Our people are dying.”
When
contacted, the Army spokesman, Brigadier Gen. Bolaji Koleosho, declined
comments on the allegation that the army advised the President against
negotiating with the sect. Koleosho said, “Army’s response to that is
simply no comment.”
Attempts
to get reactions from the Embassies of Mali and Senegal in Nigeria were
futile. When SUNDAY PUNCH visited the embassy of Mali located in
Maitama, Abuja on Friday, an official of the Embassy said those who were
in a position to respond to the enquiries on the issue were out of the
country on an official assignment.
The
official, a protocol officer who did not give his name said, “The
Ambassador, the 1st and 2nd Secretaries who may be in a position to
answer your question are currently in Cote d’Ivore attending an ECOWAS
meeting about the situation in our country. “The only person around is
the accountant who cannot speak on any issue. I am sorry.”
At
the Embassy of Senegal located at Number 12, Jose Marti Crescent, an
official asked our correspondent to return at 4:00pm on Friday to meet
the Political Affairs Officer whose name was given simply as Mr. Loum.
There was no sign of human presence when our correspondent returned.
Efforts
to reach the Presidential spokesman, Dr. Reuben Abati, on Saturday
proved abortive as calls made to his mobile number did not go through
neither did he respond to a text message sent to him by our
correspondent. Boko Haram has a presence in Mali as over 100 members of
the sect reportedly joined forces with Mali’s armed militia, Mouvement
National de Liberation de l’Azawad, to declare an Independent Republic
in Northern Mali in April.
On
Tuesday, the sect wrote a letter to the Federal Government, reaffirming
its willingness to negotiate. It replaced Gen. Muhammadu Buhari, who
had declined the nomination as lead mediator with the Federal
Government, with Imam Gabchiya, an official of the University of
Maiduguri.
The
letter came less than 72 hours after a double suicide bombing led to
the death of at least 17 people in Kaduna State and four days after the
army had offered a N290m bounty for information leading to the capture
of 19 leading members of the sect. In August, Presidential spokesman,
Dr. Reuben Abati, had told journalists that the government was already
in talks with the sect through “backroom channels.”
Abati
had confirmed the secret talk to The PUNCH, on November 12. He said, “I
can confirm to you that talks are ongoing at the background. But the
talks are not the kinds being envisaged by Nigerians. The ongoing talk
is a back channel one in which those who know members of the group are
talking with them on behalf of the government.”
However,
during his latest Presidential Media Chat, Jonathan had dismissed
Abati’s claims. He said, “There is no dialogue between the Boko Haram
and government. Boko Haram is still operating under cover, they wear
masks and there is no face. They operate under cover.”
Source: Punch
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