Northern Govs Laud Jonathan, Seek Expansion Of Amnesty Committee For Boko Haram

The setting up of a committee to consider proposals for granting amnesty to members of the Boko Haram sect has received the endorsement of Northern States Governors Forum (NSGF).

The Chairman of the forum and Governor of Niger State, Dr Mu’azu Babangida Aliyu, yesterday, said the move by President Goodluck Jonathan to dialogue with members of the sect  underscores the resolve of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) led government to restore peace in the region, saying a peaceful atmosphere would reinvigorate the region’s development.

Speaking through his Chief Press Secretary, Danladi Ndayebo, Governor Aliyu said the “Northern States Governors Forum (NSGF) encourages President Jonathan in his effort to find a lasting solution to the Boko Haram crisis, with the hope that members of the sect would make themselves available for dialogue.”

The statement, however, appealed for the expansion of the committee’s membership to include critical stakeholders in the region whose input would facilitate quick resolution of the crisis.

“State governors, traditional rulers, the clergy  – Christian and Islamic – academics, retired military men, businessmen and former public officers should form part of the current effort at fashioning out strategies to address the disturbing state of insecurity and  to proffer  practical and enduring solutions to the insecurity in the region,” the statement said.

The statement recalled that the NSGF inaugurated a 41-man peace committee last year which was headed by former Director General of the NIA, Ambassador Zakari Ibrahim with membership cutting across people with diverse backgrounds.

“Although the committee is yet to submit report of its findings, its interface with some stakeholders in the troubled states in the North East is responsible for the progress so far made,” the statement said.