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Amnesty will not stop Boko Haram.

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Boko Haram Nigeria

Boko Haram Nigeria

One of the most popular topics today amongst others is the argument of whether or not the Federal Government should offer amnesty to members of the notorious Islamic sect known as Boko Haram. If I may, my opinion on this matter is simple; Boko Haram cannot and should never be offered any form of amnesty. More so, you only offer amnesty to a group or individual who are visible not invisible sets of angry and brainwashed individuals like the infamous Boko Haram.  Aside the fact that they are operating as an invisible entity who cannot be seen let alone be brought in a round table discussion, they are nothing compared to members of MEND who were given amnesty by Late President Yar’Adua. The Movement for the Emancipation of the Niger Delta had an established cause that were understood by many and they fight not to kill innocent Nigerians but to take control of the resources within their vicinity and to draw the attention of the government towards their concerns.

There are many who believe that the actions of Boko Haram were born out of neglect and total abandonment of the North, I did, and maybe still do, but I think there is more to it. It wasn’t just the unequal and unbalanced lifestyle in the country but a political conspiracy. It’s not a hidden fact that the group in question has been in existence for long but ask yourself, why were they not activated during the leadership of Yar’Adua? Someone boldly made a treasonable statement regarding the emergence of a non-northerner as the president yet that someone till date, is having a fun time while the fire he set is burning uncontrollably and the president has done little or nothing about it.

Coming up with the idea of offering Boko Haram amnesty is ludicrous and absurd, it will as a matter of fact generate public interest that will pilot cynicism and hate for a particular group in the country. It will be a political mistake for the government to do so because it will promote terrorism in the country. There are probably tens if not hundreds of other groups who are waiting to see how the Boko Haram saga will be handled. It is imperative to note that the world is watching, waiting to see how this whole thing will all pan out, whether or not the Nigerian government will give in to the demands of this sleeper cells. This people don’t want amnesty, the agenda of those that set them up is not to secure amnesty at the end of the day, but to “make the country unbearable” until their wish of taking back the presidency sit is achieved.

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The only thing that’s standing in the way of bringing this terror group to book is corruption and the indecision of Mr President. Many see it; I see it that the presidents don’t have the balls to do what is necessary, what is required to take back control of the country. Putting up road blocks, frantically searching all vehicles that enter some strategic places etc. will never solve this problem. The only way out is for Mr President to redefine what his government stands for and understanding on time, that if diplomacy don’t work, some level of pressure has to be exacted to bring the group to a standstill by carefully sweeping out the bad eggs within and outside his administration beginning with that “someone” that made that treasonable statement. If he doesn’t, then the Boko Haram may never stop attacking the country and every single blood that they shed, will be on his head.

Jeff Okoroafor is a leading member of a new generation of civic advocates for government accountability and democratic change in Nigeria. The Citizen Affairs Initiative is a citizen-driven governance initiative that enhances public awareness on critical issues of service quality in Nigeria. It encourages citizens to proactively seek higher standards from governments and service providers and further establishes new discussions in communities about the standards that citizens should expect and deserve from those they have given their mandates. Jeff is the Managing Director of SetFron Limited, a multimedia development company that is focused on creative and results-driven web, mobile app, and ERP software solutions. He is the co-founder of the African Youths Advancement and Support Initiative (AfriYasi), a non-governmental not-for-profit organisation that provides tertiary education scholarship for young people from low-income homes in Nigeria. He is a Fellow of the Young African Leaders Initiative and the United Nations World Summit Awards. A Strategic Team member of the Bring Back Our Girls movement, and a member of the National Technical Committee on the Establishment and Management of Missing Persons Database in Nigeria. Jeff holds a Bachelor and Postgraduate diploma degrees in Computer Science, and a Certificate in Public Administration from Ghana Institute of Management and Public Administration, GIMPA.

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2 Comments

2 Comments

  1. mib

    April 26, 2013 at 6:32 pm

    Useless piece of writing, let me correct some few impressions of yours that is wrong, firstly, boko haram started during befor yar’adua, there first violent apperance was during yar’adua, he even gave a command that they should do what ever it takes to curtel the crisis, which the army did, and they got there leader, but was later killed by the police, why was he killed?, who has he exposed?. Nigerians need to know who is there sponsors, I do not like the idea of amnesty, but killing them all will not solve the problem, we need to know there sponsors, and were they are training, boko haram is not due to a ss president it was not due to a chrstian president, we must not allow ourselves to be divided by religion just because some greedy leaders want to remain in power

  2. Jeff Okoroafor

    April 27, 2013 at 12:20 pm

    It is actually not useless, just a difference of opinion. Be that as it may, it is imperative for you to understand that Boko Haram is not interested in amnesty and amnesty will definitely solve their problem but a decisive action from the president will. When all forms of diplomacy fails the next form of action is to reply whoever in concern with their own language. Yes, in doing so there will be collateral damages but its necessary for the unity and continuous stability of the nation.

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