Minister of Niger Delta Affairs, Mr. Godsday Orubebe
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.”
ThePunch
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