How Northern Governors Split Boko Haram

 

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The recent split in the ranks of the Islamist insurgent group, Boko Haram, leading to a division over a ceasefire, has been traced to a recent peace initiative spearheaded by the Northern States Governors Forum, NSGF.

The peace offensive, which saw a delegation of the forum meet with the second-in-command of the Boko Haram group, it was learnt yesterday, may also have opened way for the proposed presidential visit to Maiduguri, Borno State, scheduled for tomorrow.

The peace initiative, under the auspices of NSGF, was spearheaded by the Committee on Reconciliation, Healing and Security headed by Ambassador Zakari Ibrahim, a former Director-General of the Nigeria Intelligence Agency, NIA.

It also recommended a comprehensive amnesty for the combatants and rehabilitation of all those affected by the crisis.

The committee, Vanguard learnt yesterday, has written the chairman of NSGF and Governor Babangida Aliyu of Niger State, detailing a rundown of the process that led to the declaration of the ceasefire which has now been rebutted by the acclaimed leader of the group, Abubakar Shekau.

C’ttee’s letter to NSGF In the letter dispatched to Governor Aliyu, yesterday, and which gave an account of the visit to Borno and Yobe states by a sub-committee of the main committee, Ambassador Ibrahim was quoted to have said: “In Maiduguri, the Committee was able to meet with some people strongly believed to be members of the sect, and had very useful discussions with them which culminated into the offer for ceasefire and subsequent press briefing by the leader, which has given rise to the confidence building that culminated in the visitation by the Chief of Defence Staff and other security chiefs, the Vice President and 10 All Progressive Congress, APC, governors.

“The meeting was held at the Government House, Maiduguri, where useful and important critical issues were discussed and at the end they vowed to cease hostilities and are prepared to surrender themselves and their weapons.

“During the discussions, the leader of the group, who is second-in-command to Imam Shekau, promised to meet and convince him to publicly renounce hostilities and also designate a place of his choice for further discussions and negotiations with the Federal Government.

“They also dissociated themselves from other criminal groups that perpetrate all sorts of atrocities in the name of Boko Haram for various selfish reasons, and promised to assist authorities in fishing out all such perpetrators of criminal acts.