More of the same! As for those who are killing, they are terrorists and no country in the world conducts negotiations with terrorists. Ukraine President Petro Poroshenko I do not subscribe to any form of dialogue with terrorists, we will not grow weary of making the point resoundingly clear that no country the world over has succeeded in curbing the menace that way. Motivated by the tension, anxiety and sense of fear permeating the the nation as a result of terrorism, ethno-religious cum regional champions who muted this awkward idea are not pacified as predicted. This should explain exactly why the Alhaji Kabiru Turaki dialogue committee was and will continue to be a perpetual failure. When Mr. President first made the amnesty offer to the Boko Haram terrorist in April 2013, the terrorists categorically declined and instead offered amnesty to Mr. President! Coming shortly after securing a reluctant approval from both Houses of the National Assembly and when global outrage against the abduction of about 300 school girls from Chibok gingered foreign collaboration, the renewed offer of amnesty to the Boko Haram terrorist despite continued bombings and killings en mass, cannot be a step in the right direction. If government was planning another amnesty for the terrorist, why were we bothered with any extension of emergency rule in Adamawa, Borno and Yobe States just about a fortnight ago? It is crystal clear from the instrument seeking the extension of emergency rule and our interaction with Service Chiefs that the primary objective for which the extension of the emergency rule was sought ab initio was to enable government consolidate on the gains of our military campaigns not amnesty offer. If some of us had an inkling that the extension of the emergency rule will be followed with another amnesty to the terrorist, we would have emphatically voted against it. Government would have misappropriated precious time in the likelihood of failure of this new amnesty offer. The condition precedent to approaching the National Assembly less than six months from now with another request for extension of the current emergency rule is being created already. Reportage in both local and international media say President Jonathan has been seeking support from his counterparts across the globe in fighting terrorism, did he also seek foreign assistance in offering amnesty to terrorist? There is a pronounced tendency that this renewed offer will boomerang, we need our foreign allies if the gains of our war against terrorism must not be reversed. Below was my public statement in reaction to President Jonathan’s amnesty program when he made the first attempt in April 2013. I stand by it. PRESIDENT JONATHAN’S AMNESTY TO BOKO HARAM IS WEIRD In my honest view, granting amnesty to remorseless and unrepentant terrorist is the weirdest policy ever contemplated by any government in the history of Nigeria. The pro-amnesty pronouncements and efforts so far by the government have been completely rubbished by the intended beneficiaries of the program themselves, they have continued in their uncurbed destructions of lives and properties of innocent Nigerians virtually on a daily basis. It stands every sense of reasoning on it’s head that a government which is unable to defend its citizens from years of incessant brutality by the Boko Haram terrorist has proceeded to reward the same terrorists even when they in their characteristic remorselessness, have categorically rejected the offer. It is indescribably sickening that the merchants of death have since declared their innocence and have instead offered amnesty to President Jonathans government. The rejection of amnesty by the Boko Haram terrorist have completely exposed the fact that the real motive of the advocates of their amnesty is anything except the security and well being of Nigerians. I am not sure any government has suffered so much ridicule since Nigeria’s independence, our national pride and sovereignty is being eroded by inconsistent statements and policies which are antithetical to our security and collective well being. Worse of all, the amnesty program being contemplated by President Goodluck Jonathan exposes our intelligence community and their families to inexplicable dangers. Nothing can be more de-motivating than for a crack detective to see a terror suspect against whom he has painstakingly gathered overwhelming evidence being rewarded by a government on whose behalf he risked his life. President Goodluck Jonathan must not sacrifice the security and well being of innocent citizens in a bit to court regional political patronage. I am unable to see any motivation for rewarding unrepentant killers other than an attempt to please their mentors who in the long run will never support President Jonathans political ambition anyway.
Posted on: Fri, 30 May 2014 07:35:37 +0000
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