Jonathan has exposed how Boko Haram once chose Buhari to negotiate with his government.
NewsOnline Nigeria reports that Former President Goodluck Ebele Jonathan has revealed that Boko Haram insurgents once nominated former President Muhammadu Buhari to represent them in peace talks with the federal government during his administration’s efforts to pursue dialogue as an alternative to military action.
Jonathan made the disclosure on Friday in Abuja at the public presentation of SCARS: Nigeria’s Journey and The Boko Haram Conundrum, a book authored by former Chief of Defence Staff, General Lucky Irabor.
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“One of the major scars on my government is the scar of the Chibok girls. It is a scar that will die with me,” Jonathan said. “I pray that, one day, perhaps the leaders of this group will be literate enough to write a book or tell Nigerians what Boko Haram was really about.”
The former president noted that his administration had set up several committees to explore peace options. “During one of such processes, the insurgents put forward Buhari to lead their team to negotiate with government,” he disclosed.
Jonathan said he had hoped Buhari’s emergence as president would have made dialogue and eventual surrender easier, but the insurgency continued. “I thought that after I left, within a reasonable time, General Buhari would wipe them out. But even today, Boko Haram is still there. The issue is far more complex than it is often presented.”
Drawing from his experience under late President Umaru Musa Yar’Adua, Jonathan referenced the amnesty deal that quelled militancy in the Niger Delta, but stressed that Boko Haram defied similar strategies. He urged the current administration to adopt a “carrot and stick” approach.
He also raised concerns about the flow of arms to the terrorist group. “Where are these guns and sophisticated weapons coming from? You begin to see that external hands are also involved,” he said.
Jonathan described the abduction of the Chibok schoolgirls in 2014 as a permanent scar on his administration, while expressing hope that Boko Haram’s true story would someday be told.
Representing President Bola Tinubu, Minister of Defence Mohammed Abubakar Badaru hailed Irabor’s book as both a historical account and a guide for present and future counter-insurgency efforts.
Dignitaries at the event included the Sultan of Sokoto, Sa’ad Abubakar III; Bishop Matthew Hassan Kukah, who reviewed the book; Chief of Defence Staff General Christopher Musa; former National Security Adviser Babagana Monguno; retired General Alexander Ogomudia; retired Vice Admiral Dele Joseph Ezeoba; and Minister of Budget and National Planning, Atiku Bagudu.
