A Northern Christian group known as Christian Awareness Initiative of Nigeria has hailed the president, Goodluck Jonathan, for rejecting the call for amnesty for the Islamic Terrorist sect, Boko Haram. They also condemned the Sultan of Sokoto for even thinking of such a call when thousands of the victims if the sect have been left to their fate by the Islamic establishment of the North.
Below is their full statement.
Amnesty for Boko Haram: The President Must be Hailed for Denying Sultans Request!
Our attention at the Christian Awareness Initiative of Nigeria (CHAIN) has been drawn to the highly irresponsible call by His Eminence, the Sultan of Sokoto, Alhaji Sa’ad Abubakar, to the Federal Government to grant “total amnesty” to Boko Haram and other Islamic terrorists who have killed thousands of Nigerians and destroyed hundreds of churches sometimes with worshippers inside.
We find this call extremely insensitive especially as the Sultan of Sokoto has not deemed it fit to spear head the call for the payment of compensation to innocent Christians who have been killed by the sect nor has he championed the rebuilding of the hundreds of churches that have been destroyed by Muslims in Northern Nigeria.
We also use this opportunity to hail Mr. President, Dr. Goodluck Jonathan, for rejecting this call to grant amnesty to Boko Haram. Indeed Mr. President was right when he said “We cannot declare amnesty for Boko Haram because we cannot declare amnesty for ghosts”.
Nigerians have not soon forgotten that when Muhammadu Buhari was identified by Boko Haram as one of those whom the respect and nominated to be their negotiators, he denied them and said he does not know them. So, does the Sultan know them? Dies the Sultan want government to declare amnesty to unknown persons?
We at CHAIN do not believe that Boko Haram are unknown. In fact we believe that the Sultan, Buhari and other prominent Muslims in Nigeria know these people and we say so because Boko Haram suddenly escalated its operations AFTER Alhaji Lawal Kaita, a member of the Northern Elders Political Leaders Forum, promised in October 2010 to make Nigeria “ungovernable” for President Jonathan if he wins the election.
That promise is being fulfilled by Boko Haram, but alas, they have only succeeded in making the North ungovernable and now they realize their follow, they want amnesty for their “dogs and baboons”, but they must expose before that can even be considered.
CHAIN would also want to commend Senator Ita Enang, Chairman Senate Committee on Business and Rules, for exposing the fact that Northerners own 83% of oil wells in the Niger Delta. This revelation should shame the governor of the CBN, Sanusi Lamido Sanusi, into resigning. It would be recalled that Sanusi blamed the Boko Haram insurgency on the 13% derivation that goes to the Niger Delta States. But when you calculate the amounts going to these Northerners named by Senator Enang, including Sanusi Lamido’s cousin, Malam Lamido Sanusi (of SAPETRO) it becomes obvious that individuals are making what states in the Nigerian Federation might not even be getting.
We praise the patriotism and courage of Senator Enang and by this revelation no Northerner has any justification to blame the Boko Haram insurgency on paucity of funds because the North is a net beneficiary of monies fro. The South that it could not get on its own!
