• Arewa Elders Insist On Commission
JUST when it appears there is respite to the Boko Haram' s insurgency in the north, fresh agitations that could stall the negotiation process commenced at the weekend.
Traditional rule of Ajatanigu, a community in Ikwuano Local Government Area of Abia State, Eze King Larry Ogbomnaya Agwu, supported the plan to eventually grant amnesty to the sect, saying it would end hostility in the north.
But another monarch from the Southeast queried why members of the Movement for the Actualisation of the Sovereign State of Biafra (MASSOB) in detention are not also considered for the state's pardon even when there is no record that they killed or destroyed property.
He said justice demands that the detained MASSOB members and others suffering similarly fate accross the country should be forgiven.
Still, President of the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN), Pastor Ayo Oritsejafor, has described plan to grant amnesty to Boko Haram as a dangerous move.
Speaking in Lagos Saturday, Oritsejafor said he was not clear with the arrangement.
"We are still watching. The move and the amnesty committee is still a rumour. If it happens to be true, then there is much injustice and wickedness in the arrangement," he said.
He warned President Goodluck Jonathan against the antics of those advising him to grant amnesty to Boko Haram. He said a lot of complications surround the Boko Haram crisis, wondering who member are. He also questioned the demands of the sect.
The cleric compared the Boko Haram emergence to that of Niger Delta, asking: "Leaders of Niger Delta were able to identify the leaders of the militants but what are the northern leaders doing?
"We should also be careful about the amnesty arrangement because the sect has clearly stated what they want to Islamise the entire country, which of course is not possible. They said they do not want western education and suggested that if Jonathan could convert to Islam they will stop fighting. In a situation like that what do we do? It is obvious."
On the call by the wife of late President Umaru Yar'Adua, Turai, on Jonathan to replicate her husband's gesture when he gave amnesty to militants of Niger Delta, Oritsejafor reminded the former first lady that the two situations are different.
He said: Yar'.Adua did not identify the militants but leaders of the region did. The boys were also able to justify their demand, which bothered on marginalisation of their region, destruction of their land among other things. What exactly does Boko Haram want?"
Meanwhile, the Northern Elders Forum (NEF) has moved beyond granting of amnesty, which is still marred by controversy. They insists President Goodluck Jonathan should establish an amnesty commission for Boko Haram, saying only that will bring lasting peace.
Spokesman of NEF, Prof. Ango Abdullahi, who spoke on the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) Hausa Service at the weekend, argued that with men of integrity apointed to serve in the proposed amnesty-dedicated commission the desired objectives would be achieved.
Abdullahi argued: "We went with this advice in written; our thinking was that if the government felt it would be granting amnesty just like that, then there should be an authoritative body whose responsibility will be to set up how the amnesty will be granted. And those affected will not be afraid to come out.
"We did not even asked for the setting up of a committee; we suggested the establishment of a commission. A commission is different from a committee but I hope it is a step that will lead to the commission. If a commission is established by law, it is independent and with honest individuals appointed to lead it, they will set up the process through which the objectives will be achieved.
The ethnic group said force cannot stop the Boko Haram insurgency, and that the government must have realised that when decided to set up a committee.
The Guardian