AFTERMATH Ceasefire: Boko Haram attacks Borno

  James Bwala, with Agency reports

•Kills jubilating residents in Abadam, Dzur •Sect to name Nur as Shekau’s successor
A dangerous twist seems to have been introduced into the ceasefire agreement between the Federal Government and the Islamic terror group, Boko Haram, as the sect killed no fewer than 30 innocent civilians around Gwoza town and another five in Abadam Local Government Area of Borno State in the last four days.
Thirty persons were killed by the sect before the ceasefire deal, after which the sect members headed into the Cameroonian side to engage Cameroonian forces, where they eventually suffered heavy casualities. However, between Friday evening and Saturday morning, nine persons were killed in Dzur and Abadan. Sunday Tribune learnt that the victims were civilians jubilating over the ceasefire.
A security source said: “The people were celebrating the ceasefire before Boko Haram came to attack them. There isn’t much details, but I think you can contact the authorities for details.”
Another attack on the village of Dzur on Saturday morning left at least eight people dead.
The ceasefire, which was sealed on Friday after discussions in Chad, was expected to culminate in an end to the orgy of violence already perpetrated by the terror group as well as ensure freedom for the over 200 schoolgirls abducted in Government Girls’ Secondary School, Chibok.
Meanwhile, barring last minute changes, the sect may eventually announce the election of a new leader if reports circulating in Borno are to be believed. A member of the Civilian JTF who volunteered the information maintained that the sect was not ready for a ceasefire, alleging that politicians claiming to be representatives of the sect were only deceiving the Federal Government.
In his words: “The sect is only trying to buy more time to enable them to regroup and announce Mamman Nur as their new leader. Should that happen, we are far away from any peace deal, as his name rings a bell in terrorism circles from Borno to Sudan and other places across Africa.”
According to him, the military is better placed to overrun the insurgents now that they are operating without a leader after the killing of Abubakar Shekau in Konduga.
Attempts to get the Spokesman of the 7 Division of the Nigerian Army and the Borno State Police PRO to speak on the development did not yield results as of the time of filing this report.
Kano residents, others commend FG over ceasefire
Meanwhile,  residents of Kano have commended the Federal Government for the ceasefire agreement it reached with members of the Boko Haram sect.
 Some of the residents, who spoke with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Kano on Saturday, expressed happiness over the development. According to them, the agreement was a welcome development as it would ensure peace and economic development in the North and the country at large.
One of the residents, Alhaji Musa Hassan, said the ceasefire would go a long way to restore peace and socio-economic activities in the affected states.
 He urged members of the insurgents to keep to the agreement in view of what happened during the previous attempts by government to dialogue with the group.
Another resident and a journalist, Alhaji Ali Kakaki, said he was happy about the development because of what Kano people went through, especially during the peak of the Boko Haram attacks in the city.
“This is a welcome development and we are happy about it provided the insurgents will keep to their words,’’ he said.
Also commenting on the issue, a trader at the popular Kantin Kwari Textile market, Alhaji Auwal Mai’atamfa, said the ceasefire was a clear testimony that the Federal Government was concerned about the senseless killings of innocent citizens in the country.
“The agreement between the Federal Government and the insurgents is an indication that the government is concerned and ready to end the crisis,’’ he said.
Most of those who spoke with NAN also expressed gratitude to God for making the agreement possible and prayed for its sustenance.
They, however, urged the government to come up with programmes which would promote peace and ensure economic growth and development of the affected states.
In  the same vein, the Society for Peace Studies and Practice has commended the ceasefire agreement between the Federal govt and the Boko haram sect. A statement by the National Publicity Secretary of the Society, Ademolu Okuneye, described the development as a right step in the right direction. The society expressed delight that, for the first time, it was acknowledged that both parties were talking.
“It is only through dialogue that a peaceful resolution of the conflict could be achieved.  It is a well known fack that similar conflicts across the world had been resolved through interactions by parties in conflict,” it said.
 The society however called on both parties to take advantage of the ceasefire for the benefit of the people of Nigeria, West Africa and the continent at large.
NigerianTribune