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. Saturday Sun 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.
Source: Sun
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