Prominent Northern elders on Monday advised the Federal Government to resume talks with the dreaded Islamic militant, Boko Haram as part of efforts to end the crisis which they say is a high threat to the corporate existence of Nigeria.
At the end of a meeting of the Arewa Elders Forum in Abuja, the spokesman of the group, Paul Unongo said the escalation of the crisis has provided a convenient cover for criminal element s to perpetrate other crimes such as armed robbery, kidnapping and assassinations.
The forum condemned the boko haram sect and other forms of violence threatening the country.
“The Northern elders are extremely worried and concerned by emerging indications and circumstantial evidence that there may be more than just the original Boko Haram operating in Nigeria,” Mr Unongo said while addressing journalist after the meeting.
“On the effort to bring the Boko Haram saga to an end, the elders support the talks which started between the sect and the government a few weeks ago and urge very strongly, a resumption of such talks and their prosecution to a successful conclusion,” he added.
The Supreme Council for Shariah in Nigeria, SCSN, that was negotiating with the Federal Government on behalf of the Boko Haram sect on how to put an end to the spate of bombing in the country had accused the Federal Government of insincerity on the peace initiative which has led to the collapse of the talks between both parties.
Another possible reason why the talks between the Boko Haram and the government collapsed was the reluctance by the Federal Government to release top shots of the sect from custody. The government was said to be preparing the release of some of the foot soldiers of the Islamic sect while still holding on to the sect leaders who have been arrested.
The President of the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN), Ayo Oritsejafor had kicked against the talks between the government and the sect which have been accused of killing over 1, 000 people mostly Christians in the North. In his view, the greatest disservice the government could do to the unity of the country is negotiating with the sect.
According to Oritsejafor, it will be the greatest instrument of the nation’s disunity ever experienced since independence, should the government decide to sit on the negotiating table with the dreaded Islamic sect.