In this in-depth interview, Charles Aniagolu, an Arise Television anchor,
sat down with one of the government officials leading negotiations with
the terrorist group Boko Haram and Principal Secretary to the
President, Ambassador Hassan Tukur, on how the ceasefire was struck and
continuing negotiations with the sect to secure the release of over 200
Chibok schoolgirls and bring an end to hostilities in the North-east.
Excerpts:
When did the federal government open talks with Boko Haram?
We have been discussing with the Jama’atu Ahlis Sunna Hidda’ Awati
Wal-Jihad (Boko Haram) as you mentioned since 2013. The federal
government has been discussing with them and recently, we sat down in
N’Djamena in Chad. We discussed with them under the mediation of
President Idriss Deby of Chad and we agreed on a number of things. One
of the things agreed on is that there should be a ceasefire between the
organisation known as the Jama’atu Ahlis Sunna Hidda’ Awati Wal-Jihad
and the Federal Government of Nigeria.
So you can unequivocally tell us that a ceasefire has been agreed with the group that everybody knows as Boko Haram?
Yes.
Now put some flesh on the development for us. What are the elements of it?
When we sat down to discuss with the group, the background to it is
that the organisation itself through its own network contacted the
government of Chad that it would want to see a meaningful dialogue
between the organisation and the federal government to see that we bring
this insurgency to an end.
(Interjects): They contacted you?
They contacted the government of Chad through a letter. Chad took some
time to verify their sources, to verify whether the initiative is from
the actual group known as Jama’atu Ahlis Sunna Hidda’ Awati Wal-Jihad,
which is known by every other person as Boko Haram. They did their
verification. Following this verification, they now contacted the
Nigerian government to see if we could sit down to dialogue with this
organisation so that we can end this insurgency.
Following that, we sat down and discussed with them and agreed that it is better to sit down and resolve this crisis.
But why now, because there have been several attempts in the past to negotiate with them?
You as a Nigerian know that Nigeria is a major country in Africa and
globally. We have played a role in many countries; we have brought peace
to many countries around the world -- Liberia, Sierra Leone, Cote d’
Ivoire. We were part of the peace-keeping forces seven days after the
independence in Congo. So if a country like Nigeria is under this kind
of crisis and people are dying, no government will sit down and fold its
arms and President Goodluck Jonathan has said it time and again that he
will take every measure to make sure that this insurgency is brought to
an end. He did not preclude anything, including dialogue, including
mediation which you know very well that he set up a tracking committee
about one-and-a-half years ago under the Minister of Special Duties.
The
committee went round, went to the prisons, discussed with members of
the insurgency that are in our prisons; the Ulamas, that is the Islamic
clerics that taught these people that are in this organisation;
discussed with traditional rulers across the country; governors, anybody
that matters, anybody that can assist the government bring this crisis
to an end. The tracking committee went round and discussed with them.
So, this is a continuation of the federal government’s effort to see
that we bring this insurgency to an end. And if it is taking place in
N’Djamena or any part of the world, it does not matter as long as we sit
down and address this insurgency, and address these issues and bring
this crisis to an end.
But of course the curiosity is
that you have made attempts in the past and after purported negotiations
such as this one, they have come out to robustly deny that they reached
any agreement with you. I mean what did you have to give up to them?
If you get the background to this, they did the announcement first.
They announced on Thursday at about 9.30pm that they had ceased fire.
Now during the discussion, the agreement is that the federal government
and the Chadian government said look, we cannot continue discussing and
we cannot discuss all the issues that you (Boko Haram) put on the table
unless there is a cessation of hostilities. This is item number one.
Cease hostilities and then we will sit down and look at every issue.
So what were the items they were putting on the table?
I cannot pre-empt these items because the items will come. Now we have achieved the cessation of hostilities.
Did you have to do anything to get them to agree to the cessation of hostilities? Did you offer them anything?
We did not offer them anything but we gave them the confidence that
whatever they bring to the table eventually the federal government is
favourably disposed to look at the whole problem, so that it would be
addressed.
As you know, the world had been watching
and waiting for the release of those Chibok girls. What I need to
understand is that apparently, what we have heard, and you can confirm
this for us, is that part of the package in that agreement is that they
are supposed to release the Chibok girls. Can you confirm that that is
going to happen?
Now if you listen to their own
spokesperson, Danladi Ahmahdu, who indicated that they have declared a
ceasefire between them and the federal government, in the same broadcast
that he gave to the VOA, he indicated that the Chibok girls would be
released eventually. They promised to release the Chibok girls.
When
you say eventually… what we are trying to determine is when they are
going to be released. We understand they are going to be released on
Monday. Can you confirm that?
No, I cannot confirm that
they are going to be released on Monday because the understanding we
reached is that this is a continuous dialogue. First of all, we have
agreed that there will be a ceasefire. They have announced the
ceasefire. During the discussion we had in Chad, they promised and said
they will release the Chinese and the wife of the Camerounian deputy
prime minister and a traditional ruler and they have done that. After
that, they said we will meet next week. So I think we should wait and
see the outcome of our meeting next week. It is not good to pre-empt
anything.
Do we have any timetable for the release of the girls?
That will be determined when we meet next.
When are you meeting next?
Next week, hopefully. I am as hopeful as you are.
When next week?
I can’t tell you when, but hopefully we are going to meet next week
Now can you confirm based on your discussions with the representative of Boko Haram that the Chibok girls are alive and well?
We are sure that they are alive and well.
There are also dozens of other women and other Nigerian’s who are held by Boko Haram, what happens to them?
This is why I said we are having a global approach to solving the
insurgency. These are all issues that will eventually be addressed when
we sit down with them hopefully in the next one week or so.
As
you can imagine, there is a lot of scepticism in Nigeria around this
purported agreement, many people are saying it is simply too good to be
true. What would you say to those people?
Well, there
are many people who are sceptics and there are many people who, whatever
the government does, they do not believe in it. Because they think the
government has not done much or the government is not doing enough. But
honestly, I have cautious optimism that this thing is going to succeed.
What I will tell Nigerians is to give government a chance and support
the government and allow the government and the Jama’atu Ahlis Sunna
Hidda’ Awati Wal-Jihad to come to a conclusive and positive agreement.
It is not good to be a sceptic, not to doubt anything and what gives me
hope at this time is that I have a feeling that the people that they
sent to discuss with us are serious minded people. They are people who
are close the leadership of the Jama’atu Ahlis Sunna Hidda’ Awati
Wal-Jihad. I think they are the right hand men of Imam Shekau. So, from
their body language and what we have discussed, I’m positive that we are
going to succeed.
Because in the past, when you are
discussing with somebody, he tells you I am going to declare a ceasefire
on so and so time and at so and so hour and he does it. He tells you I
am going to release the Chinese and other people in our custody and they
do that. You have to give him an opportunity and continue discussing. I
don’t think there is any need for pessimism and being sceptical about
the whole issue. People should be positive. I for one, I am positive and
I can tell you the government is positive. The government will do
whatever it takes to bring this insurgency to an end, because it is
taking a toll on our country.
People are dying on a daily
basis. The economy of the North is being destroyed. I am from that area.
Maybe some of the people that are sceptical are not from the area. If
you are from the area, it will cause you pain. The president has said it
time and again, if one Nigerian dies or a member of the Jama’atu Ahlis
Sunna Hidda’ Awati Wal-Jihad dies or a foreigner dies or a military man
or police, it causes him great pain.
And you understand that
for those of us in government, it gives us an extra burden of
responsibility to make sure that whatever is possible is done to make
sure that this insurgency comes to an end.
Now the
opposition party says that this is timed to give President Jonathan
considerable political advantage ahead of his possible declaration that
he is going to run for the presidential election in 2015. Should
President Jonathan share in the success of this agreement? Is any of it
due to his contribution? I do not want to go into
politics. I do not want to go into declaration or what the opposition
has said. But what I can tell you is that nobody should politicise this
insurgency. Maybe some of the people in politics either in the
opposition do not understand the magnitude of the crisis we have faced
with this insurgency. If they are from these areas, they will know how
devastated these areas are. Borno State, Yobe State and parts of Adamawa
State are devastated. And Nigeria as a key country in the continent, if
you are under this assault, you should not politicise it. The
government is not politicising it. Declaration or not, it is a
timetable, 2015 elections have to take place on February 15.
Credit: ThisDay
i wonder why the govt dnt want 2 eliminate dis sect.BOKOHARAM is nt bigger than nigeria,let us fight them to stand still.negotiating wit terrorist means that u ar supporting them.no where in d world where they negotiate wit terrorist rather they fight them
ReplyDeleteif d federal govt need d girls,they knw how to find them.they shld stop negotiating wit terror cos nigerians ar nt terrorist
ReplyDelete