Boko Haram once nominated Buhari as negotiator; Chibok ‘scar’ will die with me – Jonathan

By Kingsley Omonobi, Abuja

Former President Goodluck Ebele Jonathan said connected Friday that Boko Haram insurgents erstwhile nominated erstwhile President Muhammadu Buhari to correspond them successful negotiations with the national authorities erstwhile his medication explored dialog arsenic a non-combatant attack to ending the group’s activities.

Jonathan made the disclosure 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, astatine the Transcorp Hilton successful Abuja.

“One of the large scars connected my authorities is the scar of the Chibok girls. It is simply a scar that volition dice with me,” Jonathan said. “I commune that, possibly 1 day, the leaders of this radical volition beryllium literate capable to constitute a publication oregon travel retired to archer Nigerians what Boko Haram was each about.”

He said that successful efforts to tackle the insurgency, which began earlier his presidency successful 2009, his medication acceptable up respective committees to research options for peace. “During 1 of specified processes, the insurgents enactment guardant Buhari to pb their squad to negociate with government,” helium said.

Jonathan added that helium had hoped that, were that to person led to a dialog erstwhile Buhari aboriginal became president, it mightiness person been easier to unafraid a surrender. “But the insurgency inactive persisted,” helium noted.

Recalling earlier efforts, Jonathan referenced the processes helium supported arsenic vice-president nether the precocious President Umaru Yar’Adua that helped extremity militancy successful the Niger Delta. He said the persistence of Boko Haram demonstrated the complexity of the crisis.

“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,” helium said. “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.”

Jonathan urged the existent medication to see a premix of incentives and unit successful addressing the insurgency. “The contented of carrots and the instrumentality whitethorn beryllium adopted,” helium said. “If it was lone astir hunger — due to the fact that we tried antithetic options — I don’t privation to dependable similar I’m defending my government, but I judge we did our best: we acceptable up antithetic committees and tried assorted approaches during the 5 years I was successful office.”

He besides questioned the root of the group’s weapons and ammunition, suggesting outer involvement. “Where are these guns and blase weapons coming from? You statesman to spot that outer hands are besides involved,” helium said.

Jonathan described the abduction of the Chibok schoolgirls successful 2014 arsenic a imperishable scar connected his medication and expressed anticipation that, successful time, immoderate Boko Haram leaders mightiness papers the group’s motivations and actions to supply clarity.

Representing President Bola Tinubu, the Minister of Defence, Mohammed Abubakar Badaru, described General Irabor’s publication arsenic “not lone history; it provides guidance for the contiguous and serves arsenic a roadmap for the future,” and affirmed the government’s committedness to modernising the equipped forces and strengthening quality and determination partnerships.

Among dignitaries astatine the juncture were the Sultan of Sokoto, Sa’ad Abubakar III; Bishop Matthew Hassan Kukah, who reviewed the book; Chief of Defence Staff General Christopher Gwabin Musa; erstwhile National Security Adviser Babagana Monguno; General Alexander Ogomudia (rtd); Vice Admiral Dele Joseph Ezeoba (rtd); and Minister of Budget and National Planning Atiku Bagudu.

The station Boko Haram erstwhile nominated Buhari arsenic negotiator; Chibok ‘scar’ volition dice with maine – Jonathan appeared archetypal connected Vanguard News.