•Boko Haram demands N26bn from FG, Borno govt
By ADE ALADE
The Jama’atu Ahlis Sunna Lidda’awati
wal-Jihad, popularly called Boko Haram, has asked the federal and Borno
State governments to compensate its leadership, members and families of
its dead members, as a major condition to sustain the one-week-old
ceasefire it announced last Monday. Media gathered exclusively that the
sect’s demand for monetary compensation, which will cost both the
federal and Borno State governments nothing less than N26 billion has
already been accepted by the Borno State government, which has been the
worst hit by the activities of the sect.
The amount, it was gathered, could be
more or less depending on the total number of the sect members that have
been killed by the security agencies. According to a highly placed
source, “the money being demanded by the sect leaders, they claim they
will use it to compensate themselves, their members for all their
losses, especially their houses, cars and businesses that have been
destroyed by government.
They also said they need the money to
take care of the families of their members that had been killed by
soldiers. So, the figure for now can’t be less that N26 billion, but
could be far more depending on the number of the sect members the
government agreed its security agencies had killed so far. The figure
can only be less if some government brings in some negotiation tricks.”
A top security source, who has the
details of the meetings between Boko Haram representatives and the Borno
State government officials, also told Saturday Sun that the same demand
had earlier been made by the sect about six months ago but was not well
treated by the Federal Government. According to the source, “the
latest ceasefire by the sect is hinged on the same demand that had been
made about six months ago when the people in Abuja, led by the new NSA, I
mean Dasuki, went into peace talks with the sect leaders.
I think the peace process crashed then
because the Federal Government was not ready to commit a kobo on the
sect members, like it did and still doing for militants in the Niger
Delta region. “So, the sect resumed hostilities, which got worse; but
in the present case, the Borno government has offered to pay the sect
part of the money, encourage other states, like Yobe and the Federal
Government to contribute the rest. This is though not the only demand,
but the decision of the Borno government to agree to the deal has led to
the ceasefire, which came after over four weeks of secret talks with
trusted aides of the governor.”
The discussion between the Borno State
government and the sect was first made public last Monday by a top
leader of the sect, Muhammed Abdulazeez Ibn Idris, who said his group
will maintain his own side of the pact to halt all suicide attacks and
await the government to fulfill its own side of the pact. The sect had
declared, in its ceasefire proposal announced on Monday: “I, Sheikh
Muhammed Abdulazeez Ibn Idris, the 2nd Commander in charge of southern
and northern Borno after Imam Abubakar Shekau of Jamaatul Ahjlil Sunna
lidawati wal Jihad otherwise known as Boko Haram. For sometime now, we
the members of Jamaatul ahlil sunna lidawati wal jihad, otherwise known
as Boko Haram have recently had a meeting and dialogue with the
government of Borno State, where we resolved that giving the prevailing
situation, there is the need for us to cease fire.
We, on our own, in the top hierarchy of
our movement under the leadership of Imam Abubakar Shekau, as well as
some of our notable followers, agreed that our brethren in Islam, both
women and children are suffering unnecessarily; hence we resolved that
we should bring this crisis to an end. We, therefore, called on all
those that identify themselves with us and our cause, to from today lay
down their arms. Let every member who hears this announcement relay it
to the next member who hasn’t heard. “We have met with the Borno State
government on two occasions and the fallout of the meeting is to cease
fire. Presently, we are going to comply with the ceasefire order and by
the time we are done with that, government security agencies can go
ahead to arrest whoever they find carrying arms or killing under our
names.
We are very much aware of the fact that
some criminals have infiltrated our movement and continued attacking and
killing people using our names. “We have also told the government to
try to live up to our demands that our members in detention should be
released. We hope the government will not betray us this time round,
because we all know that it was because of the continued detention of
our members that this crisis continued for this long. And if government
fails to do as it now promised, then this conflict will never have an
end.
“Of course, there is a faction within
us, but the larger faction of our movement is the one in support of this
ceasefire move. Moreover, once top members of our group including Imam
Abubakar Shekau are in support of the need for a ceasefire, other
smaller factions can be dealt with easily.” Though the sect, in the
ceasefire announcement, stated that it had made some demands, which
include the release of its members from various security detention
centres in parts of the country, it however, kept silent on its demand
for monetary compensation.
Another source very close to the Borno
State governor, Alhaji Kashim Shettima, who also confirmed the deal
between the state government and the sect, told Saturday Sun: “The
governor has to respond to the sect’s demand because the Federal
Government seems not sincere or concerned about the security problem the
people of the state are facing and has, as a result, bungled previous
chances to make peace with the sect, but as the government on ground,
which is feeling the heat of the sect activities, he (the governor) has
to do something to help himself and his people and that is why we are
where we are at this point.”
When asked how much the state government
has accepted to pay the sect, the source stated: “I think some money
would have been paid but that is still far from the reality because
other states with the same problem will need to do something while the
bulk of the process rests with the Federal Government.” The source,
however, declined to mention a specific amount of what was demanded and
how much must have been paid by the state government, giving security
concern as an excuse. Another top presidential aide in Abuja also told
Saturday Sun: “The issue of Boko Haram and the Borno State government
negotiation is already before Mr. President.
So, only him or the NSA, Sambo Dasuki,
who has been on top of the issue before now, can talk on record on it
because of the sensitive nature of it and the security implication of
whatever one says now.” The Special Adviser to the Borno State Governor
on Communications, Isa Gusau, when contacted earlier in the week, had
said he could not comment on what transpired between the state
government and the sect. He, however, added that the state governor has
always believed in dialogue as the better solution to the lingering
crisis.
“I am not competent to speak on national
security issues. We have a security council in Borno State. I am not a
member of that council and of course, you know as much you will also
agree with me that no governor will speak on such critical security
issues. But I know since Gov Kashim Shettima became a governor-elect, he
was the first to speak on the need for dialogue as the best way out.
Governor Shettima has been very firm and consistent in his belief, as he
has regularly advocated, that unless we want to engage in an endless
war, the best way out of the crisis is dialogue towards a peaceful
resolution and anytime someone is killed, be it a civilian, a security
personnel or any member of the sect, the governor is usually and deeply
pained, he hates to hear that someone loses his or her life, no matter
who that person is.
He believes that the life of every
Nigerian is worth preserving. It is the hope and prayers of Governor
Shettima that not just peace but indeed, sustainable peace, is reclaimed
in Borno and the rest of Nigeria in the quickest time because he knows
like he says, that no society can thrive without peace,” Gusau had
stated.
NaijaPundit
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