Amnesty For Terrorists?

BOKO Haram, which translates as Western  education is evil, is a notorious, extremist  Islamic  organization  that specializes in mass  destruction of lives and property.  Its  members  are a bunch of plunderers  who get their kick from abducting  school girls in their  hundreds  to rape, to enslave, and   otherwise  hold in captivity. Their  activities  are essentially  restricted to North  East Nigeria where they have overrun  churches, ravaged mosques  and beheaded Christians. The  crudity  of  their  callous and  mindless  liquidation of human lives, and grounding socio-economic activities is  only  matched by that of Fulani  herdsmen. Boko Haram, a fundamentalist  Islamic organization  started as a violence  oriented  political  outfit in  Borno  State where  it helped a  contender  attain  his gubernatorial ambition.

      THE  pretendal reward to members was considered inadequate not commensurate with their investment, which is their justification for venturing  into the  jihadist  modus  operandi  of blood  letting. Boko Haram has  destabilized  the socio-economic  life of the people of North East with hundreds of  thousands  of residents  internally  displaced. These  displaced  persons  are victims of  disruption of family life, education and spiritual  health.  Indeed not a  few of them have been permanently  disabled  for no just  cause. Boko Haram has not spared foreign  missions, international organizations  or even volunteers of non-governmental organizations.

WHILE  campaigning  for  Presidency,  General Muhammadu  Buhari  promised   Nigerians to defeat Boko Haram speedily and restore peace to the North  East. Shortly after assumption  of office,  the Federal Government  was able  to secure release of some of the girls  kidnapped in Chibok, a good  number  of them however  remain in captivity today. The  Presidency announced  and still insists  that  Boko Haram  has been  technically  defeated,  but  it   successfully  abducted another  set of  school  girls  from Dapchi.  After  ransom had been collected, it  released them  but   still holds  Leah Sharibu.

THE  organization  has  continued its  reckless, mindless  invasion of towns  and cities  executing the Chairman of Christian Association of Nigeria   of a    council  area in Adamawa state last month. Its  operatives  summarily executed  some 30  commuters  in Maiduguri  some three  weeks  ago, and are  still  rampaging  communities and stepping up efforts  to  extend  its  activities  to all the  geographical zones  of Nigeria.

 ITS  failed  attempt to operate in Niger,  a neighboring African country  earned  public  execution  for the  captured  members, while Nigerian  government has just  proposed  a  bill in the National Assembly  to reward  members  of  the  murderous  orgainisation who have  shown  ‘remorse’, according  to the  Presidency,   those  that  have  repented,  with full scholarship  abroad to acquire  Western education,  that  which they  despise. We recall that the United  States  of America earlier  this year listed  Nigeria as one of the countries   which citizens  would no longer be  granted immigrant  visa for reasons not  unconnected with terrorist  activities.

WE  of The Hope  Newspaper consider  it   absurd that the Federal Government  would want to make a  formal  policy  granting  amnesty to   terrorists   rewarding  terrorism even when victims of their   dastardly  acts remain  largely  neglected  in their camps and  cannot yet be assured to return to their homelands. It is  offensive  to common sense  that for  whatever  formula of  equity, terrorists of extremist  Islamic  fundamentalism  would be  rehabilitated  after  participating  in mindlessly  dragging  a secular state into unnecessary  prosecution  of war that cannot bring good to either  side. Militants in the  Niger  Delta rose against the state  which economic  activity of oil  exploitation  degrades their land and gives oil blocs to Northern  oligarchs. They  agitated  against the  impropriety of the policy that  deprives  them of    family lives and economic  activities  while  the  elite and the Nigerian state take the proceeds.

THE  agitation is for a fair  and  equitable  distribution of natural  wealth. It would   be  difficult  to fault the rationality  of them sabotaging the state  when  several  entreaties to correct the  anomaly  had fallen  on deaf ears.  To  appease  them is  reasonable and justifiable. That    position can  not be  extended  to accommodate those that  condemn western education while  they engage  its knowledge and tools to humiliate   the society, decimate  the economy  and eliminate  the people.

 THE  Federal Government  proposal to reward  terrorism as in the  case of  Boko Haram  or Fulani   herdsmen  reinforces the position of  those mischief makers  who portray  the President of Islamic  fundamentalism  and  ethnic parochialism. As  this   policy  is capable  of further  diminishing  the much needed support  from the political  environment in this trying  moment, we  appeal to  government  to dump the  proposal  forth with.

IN   the  face of COVID 19  pandemic, laisa fewer  epidemic,  economic   onslaught  on the mono- economy of  crude oil, rising  spate of insecurity , and  a  shamefully functionalised All Progressives  Congress  (APC) bent on political  suicide , the President  cannot  afford to  permit  any  sembalance or  appearance of rewarding  terrorism. We of The Hope  newspaper  appeal to all citizens  of  goodwill to  prevail on the  Federal Government  to withdraw from the National Assembly,  a   bill to   reward  terrorism. Rather,  it should  package   a policy  that would  terminate  Boko Haram with its terror, and   restore  internally displaced persons  to their  homes and peaceful  life

1. There must be no amnesty for terrorists.