Boko Haram Leader Accepts Amnesty, Says Ready to Dialogue with the Federal Government

If the revelation of a top leader in the Boko Haram sect, Mohammed Marwan is anything to go by, then peace may be returning to the trouble northern region of Nigeria any time soon.

The Boko Haram leader reportedly welcome the Federal Government planned amnesty programme for the sect and indicated the readiness of the sect to dialogue with the Federal Government.

Marwan in an interview with the Hausa Service of the Voice of America (VoA) monitored in Kaduna, said the released of the seven French family it had been holding hostage for the past two months is an indication that the sect is willing to dialogue with the government on the way forward in the offer of amnesty. He said the release was as a decision that was taken after a meeting with 11 other top members of the sect.

The French family, the Moulin-Fourniers had been kidnapped in Northern Cameroun, 10km from the Nigerian border and held by the Boko Haram Islamist sect for two months until their release this week.

The sect leader, however, warned that any government offensive against the sect members or attack on any member of the Muslim community unjustly would breach the agreement.

He said, “Those that were in our custody for some time, I gave the directive that they be released yesterday around 2.00 p.m. I gave the directive for their release as a result of some discussions we had amongst us. The discussions revolved around what the government came up with after their meeting with the Northern elders.

“That is why I ordered that they should be released and allowed to go without being handed over to anybody. I said a vehicle should be brought so that they go back to where they came from inbetween Cameroon and Adamawa. It was as result of the many calls and the preparations ahead. That was why I gave that order after our joint meeting; 12 of us had met.”

On the amnesty committee set up by the government, Marwan said it was high time the government stopped what it was doing to the sect members and the sect too ceased fire.

He said, “We thank Allah; we should all sit. They should stop what they are doing and we too should stop what we are doing. I also directed that no security official will be touched unless he touches us or the Muslim community; those who committed no crime, as we will revenge if they do that. But I have given that directive so that we would see how they will go about it. (So will it be) unless another confusion comes up again.”

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