We'll Take Boko Haram Seriously After 30 Days - FG

The Federal Government on Tuesday reacted to the offer of ceasefire by a  faction of the fundamentalist  Islamic group, Boko Haram,  by giving a condition to the sect.

The condition: Boko Haram must  stop its  violence in the North for a period of one month.

The Chief of Defence Staff, Admiral Ola Ibrahim, stated the Federal Government's position just as the   Federal Capital Territory  Minister, Senator Bala  Mohammed,  summoned an emergency security meeting over increased  presence of  foreign immigrants in the FCT.

Ibrahim spoke  with journalists at the opening of the 2013 seminar on National Security with the theme, Contemporary National Security Challenges: Policy Option, organied by the Alumni Association of the National Defence College, Abuja.

 He said that while security chiefs were excited by the development, the olive branch  offered by  the sect called  for caution.

Ibrahim said  the government would only take the peace overture seriously  if Boko Haram  could ensure that attacks of whatever form did not take place  for 30 days.

He stated that security operatives would wait for the period to see if no public place, security formation and place of worship was bombed before taking the sect seriously.

Ibrahim  also said  he was optimistic that the  development would culminate in improved security in the country.

He said, "You see, we must treat that with a lot of caution. You understand, there are certain objective tests that will make sense. Let's assume we can have a long period of about one month where no bomb explodes, where nobody is shot, where nobody is beheaded, where no church is bombed, where no mosque is threatened.

"If they can guarantee just one month, then we can begin to talk. You see we must take this with a lot of caution. That is what I am telling you.

"We hope whatever that must have brought about  this will further enhance our security and it's like a recognition of the very futile approach to solving whatever they consider to be their problems. So we are a bit excited by it but we are taking everything with a lot of caution."

 Boko Harama's commander for Southern and Northern Borno, Muhammed Abdulazeez, had in a statement on Monday,  said  the sect resolved to stop its violence  after a dialogue with  the Government  of Borno State in Maiduguri.

Abdulazeez  urged all Boko Haram members to lay down their arms in honour of the declaration.

He said that the ceasefire had become necessary as a result of the hardship caused other Muslims and citizens of the North by the activities of the sect.

He stated that security operatives were free to arrest anybody found to be fomenting trouble after the perfection of the ceasefire deal.

Abdulazeez  had said, "For sometime now,  we the members of Jamaatul ahlil Boko Haram sunna lidawati wal jihad otherwise known as Boko Haram have recently had a meeting and dialogue with the government of Borno State where we resolved that given  the prevailing situation, there is the need for us to cease fire.

"We, on our own, in the top hierarchy of our movement under the leadership of Imam Abubakar Shekau, as well as some of our notable followers agreed that our brethren in Islam, both women and children are suffering unnecessarily; hence we resolved that we should bring this crisis to an end.

Source: PUNCH.

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