The Federal Government through the special Adviser to the President on media and publicity, Femi Adesina has revealed there is no negotiation offer from Boko Haram following a desire to call truce by President Muhammadu Buhari.
According to Punch, rumours have it that the Boko Haram sect have offered to release the over 200 girls abducted from the Government Girls Secondary School, Chibok, Borno State, in April 2014 in exchange for 16 of Boko Haram leaders currently in the custody of security agents.
The Federal Government has been accused of taking the negotiation offer lightly but a government source who spoke to Punch correspondence under anonymity has come out to refute the claims.
The source stated that the Federal Government is yet to get a negotiation offer from the sect. Buhari's administration seems to be avoiding a repeat of the false negotiation the Jonathan-led administration had with Boko Haram which led to a distrust between the people and the government.
The Special Adviser to the President on Media and Publicity, Mr. Femi Adesina, also said the Federal Government had yet to receive any official communication from the sect.
“They (the sect leaders) have not reached out to us. For us, the source of that information is not official. If they contact us formally, we shall reply them officially.
“For now, we have not heard from them and so we cannot be talking on this”, Adesina clarified.
He affirmed the position of the Federal Government which is not ready to negotiate with the sect from a point of weakness as a result of the mapped out strategies to suppress the terrorist group.
Adesina had said, “Most wars, however furious or vicious, often end around the negotiation table.
“So, if Boko Haram opts for negotiation, the government will not be averse to it. Government will, however, not be negotiating from a position of weakness, but that of strength.
“The machinery put in place, and which will be set in motion soon, can only devastate and decapitate insurgency. It is multinational in nature, and relief is on the way for Nigeria and her neighbours.
“President Muhammadu Buhari is resolute. He has battled and won insurgency before; he is poised to win again. It is a promise he made to Nigerians, and he is a promise keeper.”
Furthermore, the Muslim Rights Concern through its Director, Prof. Ishaq Akintola has urged Buhari to embrace the opportunity given by the sect for a negotiation so that peace could return to Nigeria.
Source: Punch
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