Thursday 25 April 2013



…inaugurates amnesty, light weapons committees

* Says soldiers indicted in Borno won’t be spared
President Goodluck Jonathan yesterday said that the victims of the Boko Haram insurgency in the North would be compensated by the Federal Government.
This is even as reports from Baga, Borno State, where more than 185 people were killed in a clash between the Boko Haram Islamic sect and the Joint Task Force, JTF, indicated that scores of people were still missing.
President Jonathan, while inaugurating the committees on Dialogue and Peaceful Resolution of the Security Challenges in the North and Small Arms and Light Weapons, lamented that many people had fallen victims of the insurgency.
The committee on Dialogue and Peaceful Resolution of the Security Challenges in the North, however, included the President of the Supreme Council for Sharia in Nigeria, SCSN, Dr. Ibrahim Datti Ahmed, and the President of the Civil Rights Congress of Nigeria, CRCN, Shehu Sani, two members who had earlier declined their membership of the committee.
The President had on Tuesday also included Barrister Aisha Wakil, to join the committee.
Inaugurating the two committees in Abuja, the President charged them to engage stakeholders to end the lingering insecurity in the country.
He told the dialogue committee, which he addressed as “bigger committee” that Nigerians expected them to perform “magic” and prayed that such “magic” be achieved within the time frame given the committee.
President Jonathan urged the committee to develop a framework for disarmament and work out a sustainable option that could lead to granting amnesty to the dreaded sect.
The President also charged them to develop a comprehensive victims’ support programme, as according to him, a large number of people are victims of the excesses of Boko Haram insurgent group.
He said: “As we are trying to address the issue of Boko Haram, we must also comprehensively address the issues directly affecting the people. They must also come up with suggestions on how to address underlining causes of the crisis in order to ensure that as a nation, we do not face a similar threat in the future.
“In as much as we appreciate that in any human situation there must be disputes, disagreements and conflicts, but if we know about these and we have a good approach early enough, I believe that it will not degenerate to the situation we have today.”
Members of the committee include the Minister of Special Duties, Kabiru Tanimu Turaki, (Chairman); Sheik Ahmed Lemu, Dr. Hakeem Baba Ahmed, Col. Musa Shehu (rtd.), Sheik Abubakar Tureta; Dr. Datti Ahmed, Senator Sodangi Abubakar, Senator Ahmed Makarfi and Hon. Mohammed B. Matawalle.
Others are Ambassador Zakari Ibrahim, Shehu Sani; Hajiya Naja’atu Mohammed, Mallam Adamu Ladan, Dr. Joseph Golwa, Air Vice-Marshal A. I. Shehu, Mr. R. I. Nkemdirim, DIG P. I. Leha and Prof. Nur Alkali.
The list includes Mallam Salihu Abubakar, Alhaji Abubakar Sani Lugga, Barrister Ibrahim Tahir, Brig.- Gen. Ibrahim Sabo, Ambassador Baba Ahmed Jidda, Group Capt. Bilal Bulama (rtd), Prof. Bolaji Akinyemi and a representative of the Office of the Secretary- General of the Federation, OSGF, (Secretary)
President Jonathan also said that the setting up of the committee on Small Arms and Light Weapons reaffirmed the commitment of his administration to bring end to violence in the country.
He lamented that the effects of small arms and light weapons on the continent, while calling on producers to consider their harmful effects.
While declaring that the committee was not a task force set out to enforce rules and regulations, he emphasised it was meant to provide government with necessary advice to mitigate the proliferation of small arms and light weapons.
Members of the committee are Ambassador Emmanuel Imohe (Chairman); Director, International Organisations Department, Ministry of Foreign Affairs (Secretary); Ambassador Ghali Umar, Ambassador B. G. Wakil, Mr. Opelusi Olureti and a representative of the Ministry of Interior.
Others are representative of the National Security Adviser, NSA a representative of the Director-General, State Security Service, SSS a representative of National Intelligence Agency, NIA, a representative of Federal Ministry of Justice, a representative of Ministry of Defence and a representative of the Defence Intelligence Agency, DIA.
The list includes a representative of the Nigeria Police Force; a representative of the Nigerian Customs Service; a representative of OSGF and Ambassadors Martin Uhomoibhi and Dan Hart.
The President vowed that any military officer found guilty of misconduct in the weekend massacre in Baga, would be brought to justice.
He said the killing was being investigated.
“I will tell Nigerians and the community that government will take steps to make sure that if errors are made, that such people are cautioned and treated in line with our own laws and regulations,” the President said.
In a related development, residents of Baga are still searching for their missing relatives who have not be seen since the weekend clash.
This is even as the Jama’atu Nasril Islam, JNI, yesterday said in an online statement signed by its Secretary General, Dr. Khalid Abubakar Aliyu, that the perpetrators of the crime should be fished out and punished in accordance to the law.
The statement also called on Imams to begin Al-Qunuut prayers in all their five daily prayers for ease and relief of the incident.
In Lagos, the United States, through its Consul- General in Nigeria, Jeffrey Hawkins, cautioned the Federal Government on application of force in fight against terrorism and insurgency in the country.
Hawkins implored the government to addresses the economic and political exclusion of vulnerable communities in the North.
Hawkins, while condemning the senseless acts of terror carried out by Boko Haram and other groups expressed United States commitment toward seeing Nigeria remain a stable, peaceful and unified country.
His words: “As an ally of Nigeria, the United States is deeply interested in seeing Nigeria remain stable, peaceful and unified country. For that reason, we condemn the senseless acts of terror carried out by groups such as Boko Haram and Ansaru. The United States has also experienced the pain of terrorist attacks, most recently in Boston, and we stand by our Nigerian friends as they confront this menace.
“As the Nigerian government deals with key security challenges, we continue to emphasize that extremist violence requires a comprehensive security strategy that is not only predicated on a force-based approach, but on that also addresses the economic and political exclusion of vulnerable communities in the North. Heavy-handed tactics by security forces strengthen a perception that the government is unjust and abusive, which extremists have capitalised upon.”
Meanwhile, military and police high commands in Kano yesterday placed their men on red alert in the aftermath of the murderous incident in Baga.
National Mirror investigations revealed that series of meetings were held at the various headquarters of the security agencies in Kano apparently to discuss the development in Baga located North of Borno State where gunmen are known to have laid held sway.
It was further learnt that the security gathering was to also discuss ways of further fortifying security in Kano as well as ward-off any spillover of the disturbing situation in the Borno community to Kano, one of the Northern states that have been under the grip of the Boko Haram sect.
The AIG held closeddoor discussions with police commissioners in his zone, comprising Kano, Jigawa and Katsina with the area commanders and Divisional Police Officers (DPOs) in attendance.
Speaking in a chat with our correspondent after the meeting, the Kano State Commissioner of Police, Mr. Musa Daura, admitted that the security gathering was informed by the massacre in the Borno.

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