Jonathan: Boko Haram Once Chose Buhari as Negotiator, Calls Chibok Girls Abduction a Permanent Scar

Former President Goodluck Jonathan has revealed that Boko Haram insurgents once nominated former President Muhammadu Buhari to negotiate with the federal government when his administration considered dialogue as part of efforts to end the group’s activities.

Jonathan made the disclosure on Friday at the public presentation of SCARS: Nigeria’s Journey and The Boko Haram Conundrum, a book authored by former Chief of Defence Staff, General Lucky Irabor, held at the Transcorp Hilton, Abuja.

“One of the major scars on my government is the scar of the Chibok girls. It is a scar that will die with me,” Jonathan said. “I pray that, perhaps one day, the leaders of this group will be literate enough to write a book or come out to tell Nigerians what Boko Haram was all about.”

The former president said his administration set up multiple committees to explore peaceful resolutions to the crisis. “During one of such processes, the insurgents put forward Buhari to lead their team to negotiate with government,” he stated.

Jonathan noted that he thought Buhari’s later emergence as president could have made dialogue easier, but the insurgency persisted. He recalled similar peace efforts in the Niger Delta during his time as vice president under the late President Umaru Musa Yar’Adua, stressing that Boko Haram posed a far more complex challenge.

“If you conduct research and interview many people, you will only get part of the story, but never the full story of Boko Haram,” Jonathan said. “Boko Haram started in 2009 when I was vice president. I took over in 2010 and spent five years battling the insurgency until I left office. I thought that after I left, within a reasonable time, General Buhari would wipe them out. But even today, Boko Haram is still there.”

He called for a balanced “carrot and stick” approach while questioning how the group acquired sophisticated weapons, suggesting external involvement.

Representing President Bola Tinubu at the event, Minister of Defence Mohammed Abubakar Badaru described General Irabor’s book as “not only history; it provides guidance for the present and serves as a roadmap for the future.”

The event was attended by dignitaries including the Sultan of Sokoto, Sa’ad Abubakar III; Bishop Matthew Hassan Kukah, who reviewed the book; Chief of Defence Staff General Christopher Musa; former National Security Adviser Babagana Monguno; General Alexander Ogomudia (rtd); Vice Admiral Dele Ezeoba (rtd); and Minister of Budget and National Planning Atiku Bagudu.