I NEWS
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Boko Haram: Security operatives warn FG over dialogue • Say offer not from sect QuElZA A.JAYlJ ABIJJA AND A UGUSTlNE MADU
WEST, KAho ndieatlons ernt'l"&t'd last nlgbt in Abtija thaI security ~ndes in the c:oun. try have lW1ed mounting
I
~oothe~
Government to !.goon! the
m • cusellre by the Boko Haram lslamist Ret. dncrlbinc the offer as phone)' and se1flsh.. The security services an said to be treadln&: with "Rrlous cautlon w on the offer wblch is teen 10 security circl@$ as a erand _ptlon. ~ Mirror invef. tlgatlons revealed that al· th<xcb the lO\'e'rlUDellt is keto on necotJa.t:in&: with the croup. security agen. des in the country are 0( the bell!{ that the offer did off~
noc
mwlate dir@ctJy
from
!he ..... A security SOW'Ce in Amua said althouah he learns that the sect is n!adY for • ceasefitt. the purported offer by one Abu Mohammed Ibn Abdulaz.eez " is nothin& om@!" than tDH'e fabrications "'. On N~mber I. the ~ @f'ShI.p 0{ the Jama'atul Ahlis Swmah lJdda'awati Wal Jihad. also called Bolio Haram. had purpon!dly ruuned the former Head of Stab! and presidrntlal ca.ndJdate 01 ~ (or Progresstve Change. cpc, Genual. Muhammadu Buhart amana sLz prominent nonhemtn. • to medlate bf!twem the croup and the ~ral Government. Spokesman 01 the poop. Abu Mohamm!Cl Ibn AbdnIazeez. .'ho claimed to be the Second·in-Conunand (Amir) to their I~ Imam Abubakar Shebu, "''as said to h8'.-e made the croup's intention known in • ti!le..amf~ with journallsu. in Maidugurl. A tOp security ~ in AbQ,Ja ,,1)0 saJd Abdulazlz is ~ 10 the media. said ft'l"n if Abu! Q;aQa. the sect's spokesman has been killed by security agr:nts. the new sect spokesman would still have preem!d to 10 by the name at the de-
'""'" romnd<. ""'hy did he not call for the implementation of Shariah law across Ni&eria. a lOO&-I~ demand rI the IIIICl? And why did he choose 10 speak in English which is not the usual Jancua&e ad· opted by the &eel! '"The seIf·proclaimed leader or the sect. Abuba· kar Shekau. had b!:fore now loathed the pwnmenl so much that he said the croup was not intl!re5ted in talks with the ~rnment and would ~"'tr be. So. whY the suddl'I1 chanp 01 mind! 'tbese are lOme or the questions UW ..-e are trYln& to lei fool-prooC ans9rW'S to b!:f~ ~ can tell you what 'Nt ~ up 10 next". said the
.....
"' A
security expert and fOl"ml!'r Director in the State Security Senrice. Barristl!r MIke Ejiofor also urpd the Federal Gow!rnrnent 10 be
..-ary of the otrer by the S«:t.. Accontinc to him, tft"rorism in fI,~rla has now become an industrj' and the pJ'\"ernmenl would hen"@. to tread ...1th cautloo In the ...-.y II ....~comes such demands. wYou will recall the ~ious offen by the Boko Hanun.. N~ there are t1ro angles to 10011: at on why the d1aloeue rau!d; it is either that the offer was made by fake 8011:0 Haram members or by bonafide members who were not authorised to do .to, and by medlaton ..110 did not tIUoY the conndence rI the sect'", he said. Accordln&: to him, the recent offer was made by a man who does not enjoy the confidence of the sect. MAbu Mobammed has been lOin&: under diffef"ellt names to mae the same offer and he does DOt have the confidence or Boko Hanm mders. He said: "Boko Haram
has become an industry "..tuch !lOl1H! people now use 10 selfishly enrich them· selves. Gcn~nt should be .....ar)' rI such dubious people ",iIo just "''aIlt to use the Rcf. name to defraud the govmunmL On May I, the IUY came as Mal· lam Abu Mohammed and clalmed to be Shekau's sec· ond in command. It is just a team.. On May 13, an offer "'31 made by the same man. Before then, on ~bruary 7, same offer was made and was.sent to the N\ieri8 Ttlevision AlIlhor1ty NTA only for 8oko Haram to later dismiss the tape. Goverru:nf'nt should discountenance all tMse people until they ~ the real sect leaden. Besides, amonc those report· edly mentioned by Boko H.a ram. only Buhart bas come out to dissociate tllm&Mf from the sect... Where are others! It isjust a !JCant", he
...ted. Mean..1ille, l1!Cmt bomb and run attacks in pans 01 the Northern state .specifI. ~
Kana. KadWlaandBor·
no are justifyinc the doubts by !Orne northern leaden that (he proposed ceawfire
. . . . - . . by mllIlams " the BoII:o Haram tea to pave for dialogue that will address the political situation in the North wiD end up an exercise in I'utility and the decision ~ former Head of State and leader €I the
Yo..,
0Ianp
Ii><"...,...... a"C. Genenl MOo hammadu 8uhar1 to t.:k out ft-om the exercbe he ....as ~ed to play the ro)e rI chief mediator has abo add· ed sail to bUur): Hence. aceptidsm has continued to trail the decIanItion of the atremist group that it was ready fir dialogue, especially with it! choke ~ Saud! Arabia as venue fer such meeting. Fonner civtllan JO\'HTIOr' of old Kaduna State, Ln"81 Kalla sakl~ it is a ..'ek:ome development that should bnnc tome mief to the pe0ple: It'. a goociot1'M!n becaUSl' peace is better than conflict which impedes national and economic growth 01 a c0untry I I1<M.' c:onfldence In the calibre of people listed in the d..iaIoeUe, and I'm $Ul"e ~ SUlXl!SS In the ~'ed
_northern_
...on.
Bashlr To£a ",11o ...-as presi. dentlal candidate OIl the platform rI the defunct N. tiona] Republican ~ tion (NRC), said the parties invol\'!d in the nepltiadon
must ensure sinotritJ add i.ng that commitment plays
a
vttal ~ in the aerdse. lbere must be ImmI!dia.te ceaseftre as no meaningtW negotiaUonc:an take place ..1th killings goinc on. there is no reason v."by this ume around lIo"e woo't sua:eed if ",-e put ow- acts toeether'".
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~ the team must be axnposed of trusted people appn:I\'ed by the parties involwd In order to avoid the kind ~ suspicion that rocRd previous efbu. pJV!'mment should accept run responslbUity for flnaDc:iaI tmpl\cati....., at all tbe darnaces suffer1!d by the people throughout the period rI the conflk:t in firm of compensation, iDduding the dead victims.. (i(M!rn. ment must aIso cram W'ICOl1ditionaI amnesty to the sect, Nigerian all O\W the world should PMa" for Its P.EC:f$S~ I-ioM!Yer; as the with drawaI 01 General Buharl continues to generate c0ncern. Ncnhern ~ Alb· -.ii Tanko Yakasai and some southern political Ieade-s ~ thrown their weight behind Gmen!'s dec:isaon to back out from thr proposed dialocue. an acdon 1II'hidJ has attracted ..-.r oC words tM!t'tw!m the CPC and the presidency with the gowm. menl tns~ that il was Genera1 Duhart's call for viok"nce O\"er alleged rig. Jll'C €I the last pr!Sldentiai election in ~ at Presi dent GoodIuck Jonathan and the People Dmloc:n:tk: Party that spar1lIld at! \10Ience Je.lin& to the klss 0( lives and property in the Nonh. and by
-
Im_
the ~ rI' the Boko Haram lnsurgency in the
Jonathan congratulates China's new leader, Xi Jinping terday by the SpeclaJ Ad·
Ron"l FADEYl
AIIWo\
resident Goodluck Jonathan bas con· grarulated Mr. Xi Jin· ping on his emergence
P
as General Secretary of the Communlsl Party of China. Cha1nnan of the countrY's Central Military
Commission
and
President·Designate. A statement issued yes-
viser to the President on Media and Publicltx Dr. Reuben Abatl said., MOn behalf " himsel( the Fed· eral Government and ~ pie of Nl.gt!rla. President GoodJuck Ebele Jonathan warmly congratulates XI JInpln,'". Jonathan also com-
mended Jinping and the outgoing President. Hu Jintao., and the Commu-
nist Party or China for the orderly transfer al power to a new generation of leaders who have been entrusted with the huee responsibility " their great country into an
1_
even brighter future.
The President said he looks forward to "'OI'kin& ..1th Jlnpin& and other ne ..... members of China's
top
gm-emance
the
Politburo
organ..
Standing
Committee, to further strengthen existing cor· dial relations betIiIo-een NI·
count on the suppan r:i
geria and China He also expectS that Wl· der Jlnping's leadership. the already robust trade and economic ties bet.....een both c:ounuies would con· tinue to grow for the ben· efit of the people. Jonathan nlso hoped that the Federal Govern· ment can continue to
fom in priority areas such as the expansion rI national infrastructure.
the Chinese gQ\wnmetlt for its dm'eiopmentaJ ef·
po\\'er supplX transpOrta· tion and communications. He wished Jinplng 1m mense sucx:ess in the dis-char&e or his enormous
responsibilities as leader of the Prople's Republic
" China.
FG reserves 3,000 hectares for irrigation farming in Jibia -VP The Federal Government I yesterday said it had resen-ed 3,000 hectares for dry season fannin&: under
the Jibia UTigation project in Katsina State. It said the de\-eJopment was geared towards en· hancing agricultural pro-
ductlon and food security in the COWltr)! Vice-President Namadi Sambo said this in Batsari., Katsina State, when he visited areas affected by the recent flood in the state. Sambo explained that the gow:rnment would
assist farmers with 1m
1r)<
proved, inputs to achie'\'e the desinld goal. adding that the step was in line
Sambo said the Federal Go\'Url1DeI1t had released lQ))
with the go\'ernment's commitment 1O'A'ards fUl· ing the deficil in food pr0duction created by floods in many pans r:I the COWl·
victims in the state, add· ing. '"'TIle gQ\'t'nunent sin· cerely condoles ,,1th the famDJes of those who died in the disaster" .
million to assist Oood
Earlier. Gov. lbrahim Shema had said that seven persons lost their lives to flood in the state. adding that property estimated 8t Nl bllllon "'ere destro)'oo. Aa:onling to him. 0\Il'r 10,000 people .....ere affected by the flood in 181oc:al Gov'
emmertt areas rI the state. Shema. ~~ ex ~ delight with the a.slstance .......... by !he ~ Government so far and called fOl" more assistance to ameUorat.e the _ _ " !he cllsplaced pen;ons.