The informal discussions are aimed at putting an end to deadly attacks by the Islamic militants.
Despite last week’s denial by Boko Haram, the Nigerian Presidency on Sunday August 26 confirmed that it had initiated talks with the militant group that has unleashed mayhem on the northern part of the country, killing about 2,000 people in the last three years.
Thisday newspaper quoted the Special Adviser to the President on Media and Publicity, Dr. Reuben Abati, as saying the Federal Government was reaching out to Boko Haram by talking with some of its members through what he described as backroom channels. Abati, who spoke with State House correspondents in the capital Abuja, reiterated the commitment of government to discussing with the insurgents with a view to finding a permanent solution to the multi-faceted insecurity challenges in the North.
The Presidential Spokesman, who acknowledged the existence of several factions within Boko Haram, urged Nigerians not to be too concerned about the move for dialogue as government was determined to do all that was necessary to bring the situation under control. He however explained that the engagements with the sect or its affiliates were not conventional roundtable talks, but meetings by proxy.
He said the Federal Government decided on the use of backdoor channels so as not to endanger government negotiators or expose the sect’s members. Dr Abati commended Boko Haram’s reported readiness to ensure that those using its name for political and criminal purposes are identified and checked, The Guardian newspaper said.
The Presidential aide recalled that President Goodluck Jonathan has held a lot of meetings with politicians from the North on finding a solution to the problem. The President, Dr Reuben Abati pointed out, is of the position that Boko Haram militants are not ghosts, but live among people who might know them and need to be carried along in addressing the issue.
Boko Haram, whose name means “Western education is forbidden,” is known to have several factions. The sect says it wants to create an Islamic State in Nigeria. The announcement of talks between the two sides is the first official confirmation of dialogue with the militant group, the BBC said.
