Boko Haram: Afenifere, ACF disagree on Jonathan’s refusal to grant amnesty

By Wale Odunsi

The pan-Yoruba group, Afenifere, has commended President Goodluck Jonathan’s decision of refusing to grant amnesty to the Islamic sect, Boko Haram.
A chieftain of the group, Ayo Adebanjo, said that the President’s stand on the matter was commendable.
He was reacting to the call by the Sultan of Sokoto, Alhaji Sa’ad Abubakar lll, that the Federal Government should grant “total amnesty” to all the armed groups operating in Nigeria, including Boko Haram.
The Sultan gave the advise in Kaduna at the annual meeting of the Central Council of the organisation.
DailyPost had reported that the President , during his official visit to Yobe State on Thursday, said he was not ready and willing to grant amnesty to ghosts.
Adebanjo said, “What the President said made sense; how can you grant amnesty to people who you don’t know, people who don’t have a face? What the President said was common sense. They have not come forward to state what they are fighting for.”
He said, it was wrong for anyone to compare the Boko Haram elements with Niger Delta militants, who enjoyed amnesty.
Another Afenifere leader, Pa Reuben Fasoranti, said there was no way the Federal Government would grant amnesty to faceless criminals.
He said, “President Jonathan’s position is most acceptable and commendable. There is no way government could negotiate with faceless criminals.

“It had happened in other countries and it fizzled out. These criminals cannot sustain their lawlessness for too long. They will soon be tired and fizzle out of existence.”
Meanwhile, the Arewa Consultative Forum said it supports the Sultan’s request.
It said that the suggestion was a way of encouraging the sect leaders to come out for dialogue and negotiation.
Its National Publicity Secretary, Anthony Sani said, “When you ask ACF to react to the Sultan’s suggestion for general amnesty and the President’s saying that there cannot be a dialogue and amnesty for a faceless group, I wonder what you want me to say.
“I do not think the Sultan meant amnesty without conditions. And because the leaders of Boko Haram may be afraid to show themselves for a dialogue, the Sultan may be suggesting an offer of amnesty in the hope of encouraging them to come out for the dialogue without fear for their lives.
“That is to say, the Sultan may be saying in his own way that the government needs to go beyond rhetoric and do something practical in order to make the leaders of the sect show their faces.
“Mr. President may be right when he said the government could not have a dialogue with a faceless group. Yet, he cannot say it is not the responsibility of the government to find a way of bringing leaders of the sect into the negotiation table, however difficult.”
DailyPost