Boko Haram chose Buhari to negotiate with my government — Jonathan

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By Johnbosco Agbakwuru and Kingsley Omonobi

Former President Goodluck Ebele Jonathan disclosed connected Friday that Boko Haram insurgents nominated erstwhile President Muhammadu Buhari to correspond them successful negotiations with the Federal Government erstwhile his medication considered having a dialog with the radical to question a non-combatant alternate to extremity the violent group’s activities.

Jonathan made this known astatine the nationalist presumption of “Scars” ‘Nigeria’s Journey and The Boko Haram Conundrum’, a publication authored by erstwhile Chief of Defence Staff, General Lucky Irabor, successful Abuja.

He said successful tackling the insurgency which predated him successful 2009, his medication established respective committees to research options for bid with Boko Haram and “during 1 of specified processes, the insurgents enactment guardant General Muhammadu Buhari arsenic their preferred negotiator”.

As a effect of that, Jonathan said helium believed it would person been easier for Gen Buhari, erstwhile helium emerged arsenic president, to negociate with the terrorists to surrender, but the insurgency inactive persisted.

President Jonathan who recalled the processes helium championed arsenic Vice President to precocious President Umaru Yar’adua that brought militancy to an extremity successful Niger Delta, noted that the inability of Buhari to eradicate Boko Haram terrorists, showed that the situation was much analyzable than often portrayed.

His words: “If you behaviour probe and interrogation galore people, you volition lone get portion of the story, but ne'er the afloat communicative of Boko Haram. I was there. Boko Haram started successful 2009 erstwhile I was vice president. I took implicit successful 2010 and spent 5 years battling the insurgency until I near office. At 1 of the committees we acceptable up then, the Boko Haram nominated Buhari to pb their squad to negociate with the government

“So, I was feeling that, if they nominated Buhari to correspond them and person a treatment with the authorities committee, past erstwhile Buhari took over, it could person been an casual mode to negociate with them and they would person handed implicit their guns. I thought that aft I left, wrong a tenable time, General Buhari would hitch them out. But adjacent today, Boko Haram is inactive there. The contented of Boko Haram is acold much analyzable than it is often presented.

“So, it’s a spot complex, and not a substance of a azygous story. But I believe, arsenic a nation, we person to look astatine the Boko Haram contented otherwise from the accepted approach. I judge 1 time we’ll flooded it. “One of the large scars connected my government, which volition stay connected my face, arsenic Bishop Kukah said, and nary integrative oregon cosmetic surgeon tin region it, is the contented of the Chibok girls. It is simply a scar I volition dice with. But possibly later, much details whitethorn go known, and that excessively has to bash with Boko Haram. What did they truly want? Our president of this occasion, (Former President Obasanjo) erstwhile raised the contented erstwhile helium interviewed immoderate of them, and they gave him definite perspectives.

“But I commune that 1 day, immoderate of the Boko Haram leaders whitethorn beryllium literate capable to papers what they person done, truthful that radical volition genuinely recognize what they wanted. It is akin to the communicative of the Nigerian Civil War.

“The existent contented of Boko Haram was beyond hunger. That was wherefore my medication employed truthful galore strategies but they did not work. If it was lone astir hunger, we tried antithetic options. But I don’t privation to dependable similar I’m defending my government. That volition beryllium near for past erstwhile we papers our books. But I judge we did our best: we acceptable up antithetic committees and tried assorted approaches during the 5 years I was successful office. I judge the precocious Buhari excessively indispensable person tried his best.

“Once again, fto maine convey General Irabor for this book, due to the fact that I ever admit radical who papers events clearly. That way, erstwhile we constitute our ain accounts, we tin get from specified documentation. I besides judge that each the subject officers progressive successful the Boko Haram saga should supply accusation astir what the radical genuinely stood for.

“I judge the government—luckily, with the Defence Minister present and the work chiefs represented—must follow a somewhat antithetic approach. God willing, we volition beryllium capable to resoluteness this crisis”.
Jonathan past urged the Tinubu medication to see the carrot and instrumentality attack to code the insurgency that has las...