Indications emerged last night that
President Goodluck Jonathan may have resolved to declare amnesty for the Boko
Haram sect.
This was the outcome of a meeting
between the president and the leadership of the Northern Elders Forum (NEF) at
the presidential villa, Abuja.
This is even as Jonathan has
summoned a security meeting with chiefs in the country, which will be held
today at the presidential villa.Jonathan also used the occasion to
deny ever ruling out amnesty for the sect.The president is expected to set up
an amnesty commission to fine- tune details of clemency to the sect members.Former Vice Chancellor of Ahmadu
Bello University Zaria, Prof Ango Abdullahi, told State House Correspondents
after the meeting which ended at about11:30pm that the president’s response to
the call for amnesty at the meeting, which is sequel to the one held between
the president and the NEF in May last year, was positive and that he assured
the NEF delegation that the amnesty for the insurgents will be tabled before
the security meeting today.
Abdullahi said, “The meeting is
simply a follow-up visit on the invitation of Mr. President. Many of you will
recall that about eight or nine months ago, we interacted with the president on
matters of the nation.
We submitted a memorandum to him and
he promised that he was going to look at our submission and he will call us
back to further dialogue on the issues we have raised in ou submission. Ans
this is precisely what transpired today.
“The contention here that there are
challenges in the country, especially in the area of security which is the
greatest challenge.
What we discussed is that general
opinion in the country is that amnesty should be factored into all effort made
by government to overcome the security challenges all over the country or in
most parts of the North.
Fortunately the president is
already thinking hard on it.
And he assured us that there is a
special meeting on the matter and that I’m sure that tomorrow something
substantial will come out of that meeting”.
Corroborating Abdullahi’s
disclosure, information minister, Labarn Maku also said the president has never
said no to the issue of amnesty, adding that what the president is saying is
that, just like in the case of Niger Delta, some structures and processes have
to be in place before the amnesty option is fully explored.
The minister further explained that
the insurgents need to be identified and come forward before the dialogue that
would lead to the amnesty programme is put in place.
LEADERSHIP gathered that the
president intention for convening the meeting was to to give a listening ear to
the umbrella body of Northern elders to clarify on issues partaining to clamour
for the amnesty for the sect and why he may have been reluctant to consider
calls by a section of Nigerians that he should declare amnesty for the sect.
Spiritual leaders from the North,
including the Sultan of Sokoto, Alhaji Sa’ad Abubakar III had appealed to
the president to consider granting amnesty to the deadly group, with his
position receiving a boost from the Arch Bishop of Abuja, Cardinal John
Onaiyekan during the Easter period.
But the president had kept mum over
the matter since after his encounter with elders of Borno and Yobe States
respectively after a town hall meeting with them during his two weeks working
visit to the epicenters of the Boko Haram.
LEADERSHIP learnt that the
president may have deemed it necessary to pour out his mind before the NEF , to
let them understand his earlier position that members of the insurgents must
present themselves before him to enable him know who he is actually dialoguing
with, as he was not ready to grant amnesty to ghosts.
The president’s declaration early
March this year in Borno and Yobe had elicited a lot of mixed reactions, with
most prominent citizens from the Northern region accusing president of
insensitivity to the plight of people from the region that have suffered great
loss due to the gory and gruesome activities of the sect.
Present at the meeting were leader
of the group, Yusuf Maitama Sule, Paulen Tallen, Hakeem Baba Ahmed, Kali
Gazali, Safiya Mohammed, Solomon Dualong, Sheikh Ahmed Lemu, Shehu
Malami, John Wash Pam, Lawal Kaita, Bello Kirfi, Paul Unongo, AVM Al-amin
Daggash, Sani Zango Daura, N.A. Sheriff, Yahaya Kwande, Saleh Hassan, Muslim
Maigari, Bashir Yusuf, Gen.
Paul Tarfa, Justice Mustapha
Akanbi, Prof Idris Mohammed, Capt Paul Tahal and Capt Bashir Sodangi.