February 8, 2012 by Niyi Odebode and Ifeanyi Onuba
The Federal Government, on Tuesday, received a message from the violent Islamic sect, Boko Haram, asking for dialogue.
President Goodluck Jonathan had offered to negotiate with the group recently, adding, however, that the group would have to identify itself before talks could commence.
A Nigerian Television Authority Network News monitored at 9 pm on Tuesday said the sect indicated its readiness for talks via a video tape brought to the station by two masked men.
Although the station played the audio of the tape, the person who made the position of the sect known, speaking in Hausa, was not shown.
The person also gave the names of the negotiators appointed by the group to talk on its behalf.
He said, “On behalf of myself and my organisation, we hereby confirm and accept the statement made by Mr. President (Goodluck Jonathan). We have people we respect and trust to mediate between us and the government.
“These persons are Sheik Abubakar Gemuno, Dr Shettima Mongunu, Alhaji Bukar Ibrahim, Alhaji Junadu Idris and a peace broker who is also our mother Barrister Aisha Al Wakil.
“The decision taken by these men (members) can bring a change to the entire situation. Their word is our word. We trust and respect them.”
Attempts to get the reaction of the Special Adviser to the President on Media Affair, Dr. Rueben Abati, on the telephone failed as he did not pick his call.
Also, one of the named negotiators, Bukar Ibrahim, a serving senator, did not respond to a text message sent to his GSM line on the matter. Repeated calls made to his phone were also not answered.
THE PUNCH, however, gathered that a breakaway faction of the sect, which had reportedly denounced the main group for the increasing number of Muslim deaths in the sect’s attacks might be behind the move.
On Tuesday, Boko Haram launched multiple bomb attacks on the 1 Division of the Nigerian Army in Kaduna, hours before the national television aired the video allegedly sent by the group.
A spokesperson of the group who spoke to journalists after the attack claimed the attacks on behalf of the group, saying, “We [carried out the attack] and Alhamdullahi, we succeeded and this is just the beginning of our series of attacks. Allah is with us, Nigerians should expect more than what they are seeing. All the plans of government will failed against us.”
Meanwhile, army sources on Tuesday said soldiers on Monday killed eight members of Boko Haram in a night raid in Kano.
“The military succeeded in killing eight gunmen, arrested five others and discovered five high-calibre bombs and 15 other low-caliber bombs. All these are homemade,” AFP reports quoted an anonymous military source to have said.
Residents, who visited the alleged Boko Haram hideout in Kano’s Mariri neighbourhood told AFP that parts of the floor were blood-stained.
The military source added that some members of the sect escaped during the raid and that security forces found a large cache of guns and ammunition inside their hideout.
“The first indications are that this is an armory for the sect,” the source said.
Meanwhile, the Army said on Tuesday that its men would change their dressing mode to curtail the activities of Boko Haram members who wear military uniforms. Saying one of the bombers of the 1 Division was dressed in army uniform, the Director of Army Public Relations, Maj.-Gen Raphael Isah, said the Army would soon make changes in dressing pattern to address this and similar abuses.
Isah noted that the Army authorities were concerned about the phenomenon of fake soldiers and criticised parents who allowed their children to wear military camouflage.
Isah said this in Abuja, at a press conference shortly after the attempted bombing of an Army facility in Kaduna.
He said, “The Army is doing a lot now and I am sure you will see a lot of changes in our mode of dressing; there will be some adjustments in our mode of dressing.
“I am sure that will curtail this proliferation of uniform.”
SOURCE: The Punch, 8 February 2012. http://www.punchng.com
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