The Nigerian government on Tuesday played down direct negotiations with the Islamic Boko Haram sect, which has been behind a wave of deadly bombings in the north of the country. Speaking at the inauguration of a committee that is to seek ways of restoring security and peace in the north-east zone of the country plagued by the violence of the Islamic sect, the Secretary to the Government of Nigerian Federation, Senator Anyim Pius Anyim said the work of the committee was not to negotiate with the group. ‘You don’t negotiate with whom you don’t know. For the purposes of your present assignment, negotiation does not come in because you don’t know the people you are going to encounter,” he said.
The chairman of the committee, Ambassador Usman Gaji Galtimari, had in his acceptance speech appealed to members of the sect to take advantage of government’s gesture to embrace dialogue.
He said: “Now that the Federal Government has taken the initiative to reach out to the leadership and adherents of the Jamatual Ahlus Sunna lid Da’awatis Jihad, also known as ‘Boko Haram’, I would like to plead and call on the sect to embrace this dialogue process.
‘I assure them that all their genuine grievances will be addressed by the Committee and appropriate recommendations made.
‘I want them to accept this peace process which would not only translate into peaceful co-existence for all of us but also enable them to freely come out and settle down to practice their religion and carry out other lawful activities like any other Nigerian.’
But in a swift reaction Anyim said: ‘I tried in my briefing to give a background to this committee and I know it has been very much in the media that the Federal Government has set up the committee to negotiate with Boko Haram.
‘I think it is not the proper situation as that should be the second leg of the assignment. You don’t negotiate with whom you don’t know; these people, we don’t know them, they are faceless. But we said we are providing a forum.
‘Whatever information you have, whatever opinion you have, whatever suggestion you have, lay it to this body. If by the time you finish your assignment you are able to identify them, then you now advise us on what to do; either to talk or not to talk with them.
‘So, I want to clarify that the purpose of this committee, like I said earlier, is to provide a forum whereby every person who has suggestions, opinions, information on the way forward, without restriction of access, can forward it to the committee…Let me emphasise, this is not a negotiating team. It is a fact finding team. It is a forum to identify a solution.’
The terms of reference include to review all the issues of security challenges in the zone and proffer solutions/recommendations which would bring a speedy resolution of the crisis and to serve as a liaison between the Federal Government and the State Governments, where necessary.
It is also to liaise with National Security Adviser (NSA) to ensure that the security services discharge their respective assignments with optimal professionalism; and consult with stakeholders from time to time for suggestions to ascertain the true state of affairs.
The committee is required to complete its assignment and submit a final report to the government on or before 16 August.