Former President Goodluck Jonathan has made a startling revelation, disclosing that Boko Haram insurgents once chose former President Muhammadu Buhari as their preferred negotiator in peace talks with the Federal Government.
Jonathan made this statement on Friday during the public presentation of Scars, a book authored by retired Chief of Defence Staff, General Lucky Irabor, in Abuja.
According to him, his administration had set up several committees to initiate dialogue with Boko Haram at the height of their deadly insurgency. During one of those processes, Jonathan said the terrorists specifically nominated Buhari to represent them in negotiations.
He explained that the move gave him hope that Buhari, upon becoming president, could have easily engaged with the insurgents to bring an end to their attacks. However, Jonathan lamented that the insurgency persisted despite the opportunity.
Jonathan stated:
“One of the committees we set up then, the Boko Haram nominated Buhari to lead their team to negotiate with the government.
So I was feeling that, oh, if they nominated Buhari to represent them and have a discussion with the government committee, then when Buhari took over, it could have been an easy way to negotiate with them and they would have handed over their guns. But it was still there till today.”
The former president’s comments have sparked renewed debate on the long-running insurgency and why previous peace efforts failed to yield results.
maybe