In the message, the sect that had claimed responsibility for several bombings in the north and the Federal Capital Territory said it was ready for dialogue with the government.
It also named five negotiators – Sheik Abubakar Gemuno, Dr. Shettima Mongunu, Alhaji Bukar Ibrahim, Alhaji Junadu Idris and Barrister Aisha Al Wakil – to argue its cause.
However, THE PUNCH had reported yesterday that the video tape was sent by a faction of the sect.
Reacting to the Boko Haram message on NTA, Minister of Information, Mr. Labaran Maku, told journalists at the end of the weekly Federal Executive Council meeting in Abuja that government was not certain the sect sent it.
Maku said, “If some names were mentioned by some media houses it doesn’t mean that it could be true.
“It could be false. We don’t just take it on the pages of newspapers because you reported a story, whether it is NTA, radio or video, it takes more than that to establish the veracity of a claim.”
The minister, however, said the government was prepared to entertain “every formal channel of communication with Boko Haram that could lead to dialogue.”
“The government is clear, we are ready for dialogue, already the President had said so,” Maku said.
Maku restated the Federal Government’s readiness to discuss with Boko Haram, but insisted that the government must know the identities of those who it would be negotiating with in the planned talks.
He said, “Whatever grievances that they (Boko Haram) have, the mere fact that they have grievances and they have taken to violence presupposes that we should listen to them, in spite of the fact that as a government we must defend innocent citizens some of whom have lost their lives in the course of these terror attacks.
“In spite of this the President (Goodluck Jonathan) made an open declaration that as a leader and the father of the nation he was prepared to talk to the combatants who have visited violence on innocent people and on their country.
“But the President said, ‘look, for us to engage in dialogue we must know who we are dialoguing (sic) with because members of this terror group operate underground and because they operate underground talking to them is a more difficult process.’”
Justifying government’s decision to negotiate with Boko Haram, despite its unrelenting bombing activities in the North, Maku said the government was uncomfortable with deploying military force against its citizens.
The minister said, “It is the understanding of the Federal Government that those involved in the terror attacks are our children. Yes, foreigners are involved but they do so in partnership or in collaboration with some Nigerians and because they are our citizens, we have continued to call on them to lay down their arms.
“Whatever grievances they have can be better resolved by bringing those grievances in an orderly way to the government at all levels. Some of those grievances are not even with the Federal Government while some are, but the President has turned in the olive branch.
“It is not a happy thing for Nigeria to deploy its military forces against some of its citizens, therefore it is not something we are doing out of choice.”
On Boko Haram’s reported plan to attack Sokoto, Maku stressed that the terror sect activities were killing the economy of the North.
He said, “The attack on Kano is so significant because Kano has always been the commercial centre of western Sudan for the past 500 years, even before the evolution of Nigeria.
“Kano is the economy of the North and the economy of Niger Republic; and it is the economy of Chad; it is the economy of northern Cameroun.
“So when you destabilise the peace in Kano, you threaten the foundation of economic and social well-being of all northerners.
“If you go and attack Sokoto for example, Sokoto is the spiritual headquarters of all Muslims in the country.
“The Sultan of Sokoto is officially recognised as the leader of Muslims in Nigeria. He is the prime leader and authority of Islam, so if for example you threaten to attack Sokoto, what is the benefit?”
According to the minister, the purported threat by the sect to attack Sokoto is an indication that its terror campaign is not motivated by religion.
He explained, “That is why we continue to say that we do not see much of religion in what is happening, because if Sokoto is virtually an Islamic centre and the headquarters of the caliphate that spreads Islam to most parts of Nigeria and even the South-West, if you go and attack Sokoto in what way does it affect the course of Islam if it is Islam they are fighting for?”
“What has happened is violence and this is what we want all those involved in it to understand and all stakeholders in the North and Nigeria to understand, that if any part of this country is in need of peace today, it is the Northern Nigeria.
“From all the statistics we (North) are still behind in infrastructure, in literacy level, in industrialisation, so we need peace and this peace will only be made possible when all stakeholders are involved.”
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