President Goodluck Jonathan (r) with the Borno State Governor,
Alhaji Kashim Shettima, waving to the crowd at the Maiduguri
International Airport, shortly after his arrival on a two-day working
visit to Yobe and Borno States... Thursday
By Muhammad Bello, Michael Olugbode, Seriki Adinoyi and Ibrahim Shuaibu
In a show of strength, President Goodluck Jonathan Thursday defied the
prospect of a terror attack coinciding with his visit to Borno and Yobe
States, the epicentre of the Boko Haram insurgency, by spending the
night in Maiduguri, the Borno State capital.
He also seized on the occasion of his historic visit to both states to
respond to the clamour from northerners for a full pardon for members of
the terrorist group.
Jonathan, who arrived in Maiduguri, from where he was ferried to
Damaturu, the Yobe State capital, in a helicopter, at a town hall
meeting with traditional rulers and opinion leaders, ruled out amnesty
for now for Boko Haram members, who have killed well over 3,000 people
since 2009 when they began their terror campaign.
He said inasmuch as his administration was desirous of ending the state
of insecurity foisted on the nation by Boko Haram, it was not ready to
give official pardon to “ghosts”.
As if to buttress his point, gunmen suspected to be Boko Haram members
killed another eight persons in Shekar-Madaki in the suburb of Kumbotso
Local Government Area of Kano State.
However, the clamour for amnesty for the Boko Haram members, championed
by the Sultan of Sokoto, Alhaji Sa’ad Abubakar III, and a committee set
up by the Northern States Governors’ Forum (NSGF), has continued to
draw flak from other interest groups in the country.
A member of the House of Representatives, Hon Bitrus Kaze, representing
Jos South/Jos East Federal Constituency of Plateau State and two
traditional rulers from the Niger Delta rejected the sultan’s proposal
advocating amnesty for the insurgents.
The president told the gathering in Damaturu that the Federal
Government would not consider amnesty for the insurgents until they come
out from the shadows.
“We cannot talk about amnesty with the Boko Haram now until you see the
people you are dealing with.
“Some people are comparing Boko Haram with the Niger Delta. But in the
Niger Delta if you call them (militants), they will come out. But the
Boko Haram members don't and we can't grant amnesty to ghosts,” he said.
The president insisted that there was a need for a one-on-one interface
between representatives of the government and the leadership of the
terror group.
On the controversy trailing what has been perceived as his belated
visit to the terror-stricken region, the president said the delay was
not deliberate.
Observing that he had promptly visited other areas attacked by the sect
such as Madalla, Kano, the United Nations building and the police
headquarters in Abuja, the president attributed his late visit to the
North-east to official exigencies.
Reassuring the people that the delay in visiting the state earlier than
now should not be construed as discrimination against the people of the
area, he explained that whatever affects the people in the North-east
affects the entire country.
“There is no way a president, whether it is President Jonathan or any
other president, will neglect such critical obligations,” he said.
In a veiled reference to the visit of opposition governors under the
aegis of the All Progressives Congress (APC) to Maiduguri on February
28, the president appealed that the issue should not be politicised.
At the town hall meeting, the people called on Jonathan to immediately
initiate a Marshall plan for the reconstruction of the infrastructure
destroyed because of the Boko Haram crisis and facilitate the
rehabilitation of the people.
In his contribution, a former Minister of Finance, Alhaji Adamu Ciroma,
said though it was difficult five years ago for him and others to
envisage a crisis of this magnitude in the once peaceful state, it was
high time to tackle the crisis squarely.
He said the Federal Government should tackle agriculture, education and
health with more determination, as these would lead to the economic
emancipation of the North that would help in checking the security
crisis that it is now engulfed in.
The elder statesman, who later invited a prominent leader in the state,
Air Commodore Ibrahim Alkali, to read out the position of the elders of
the state, also called on the Federal Government to do something
urgently to start oil exploration at the Lake Chad Basin.
Alkali, who took the floor from Ciroma, said the Boko Haram crisis had
festered in the region because of the dearth of education, lack of
vocational skills and the neglect of agriculture.
Earlier, during a courtesy call on him before they went for the town
hall meeting, the state governor, Alhaji Ibrahim Gaidam, said the Boko
Haram insurgency had retarded development in the state and affected the
service delivery of his government to the people.
He said prior to the security challenges, the state used to be adjudged
one of the most peaceful states in the country, as the people of the
state were known for their hospitality and affection towards strangers
and co-existed peacefully irrespective of ethnic, religious or political
inclinations.
He appealed to the Federal Government to provide security personnel
with high grade weapons and equipment as “hoodlums have access to deadly
weapons and improvised explosive devices."
Listing the problems of the state since its inception as desert
encroachment, rural poverty, youth unemployment and a massive
infrastructure deficit, among others, Gaidam again harped on the
security challenges on which he said the state had spent about N4.8
billion from 2009 to date.
At the end of his itinerary, which included a private meeting with
traditional rulers, the president inaugurated the Yobe State University,
whose library was named after him and the Gujba-Maiduguri Ring Road.
Jonathan, who was accompanied on the visit by the Chief of Defence
Staff, Admiral Ola Sa'ad Ibrahim; National Security Adviser, Col. Sambo
Dasuki (rtd); Inspector General of Police, Mohammed Abubakar and
National Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Alhaji Bamanga
Tukur, among others, flew back to Maiduguri in an air force helicopter
at about 4.25 pm where he spent the night.
However, during his visit to the North-east on a confidence-building
trip, unknown gunmen, suspected to be Boko Haram members, attacked and
killed eight persons at Shekar-Madaki in the Kano metropolis.
The state Commissioner of Police, Alhaji Musa Daura, confirmed the
killing to reporters Thursday, stating that the incident happened on
February 23.
He said some people had been arrested and taken to the State Criminal
Investigation Department (SCID) for investigation.
Sources said the police could not make the killing public earlier due
to the change in the leadership of the state police command.
Meanwhile, the sultan came under more fire Thursday over his call on
Jonathan to grant “total amnesty” to Boko Haram members, as a member of
the House of Representatives condemned his suggestion.
Kaze, describing the proposal as weird, said: “Discerning minds now
know better why Boko Haram terrorism has continued to thrive with
reckless impunity; they have mentors in very high places.”
Also, two royal fathers in the Niger Delta – a former National
President of the Traditional Rulers for Oil Minerals Producing
Communities of Nigeria (TROMPCON), Charles Ayemi-Botu, Pere of Siembiri
Kingdom in Delta State and King Dodo II, Pere of Bilabiri Mien Kingdom,
Bayelsa State – said they were shocked by the reasoning of the sultan.
The monarchs, in separate interviews with the News Agency of Nigeria
(NAN), said the Federal Government should declare a full-scale war on
Boko Haram rather than granting amnesty to mysterious persons.
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