Boko Haram: Presidency faults amnesty promoters By Ameh Comrade Godwin

The Presidency, yesterday fired back at those calling
for amnesty for the Boko Haram sect, saying they
were politicising the issue.
Senior Special Assistant to the President on Public
Affairs, Dr. Doyin Okupe, said this in statement in
Abuja.
It would be recalled that President Goodluck Jonathan
had, in his recent visit to Yobe State said the Federal
Government can not grant amnesty to the Islamic
Boko Haram and its allies, because, amnesty can only
be granted to people with a face and an identity..
He had said, “We cannot declare amnesty for Boko
Haram because we cannot declare amnesty for ghosts.
You cannot liken Boko Haram to what happened in
the Niger Delta.”
Prior to his declaration, the Sultan of Sokoto, Alhaji
Saad Abubakar III, had called on the Federal
Government to grant Boko Haram total amnesty for
peace to reign.
Some prominent Nigerians, including a former Federal
Capital Territory Minister, Mallam Nasir El-Rufai and
an ex-Chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes
Commission, Mallam Nuhu Ribadu, faulted the
President.
According to Ribadu, “Jonathan was wrong to have
said that he will not grant amnesty to Boko Haram; he
should not fail to protect the people and when people
call saying ‘we are tired; we are down’ even if it
means to dialogue and have a solution to the whole
process, he should opt for such.”
But Okupe, in a communique issued on Monday, said
the proponents of Boko Haram Amnesty should learn
from how the amnesty programme in the Niger Delta
was brokered.
He added that Jonathan had nothing to gain from the
prolonged wanton destruction of life and property by
members of the sect.
Okupe disclosed that Monarchs in the affected states
should prevail on the leadership of the sect to
abandon “their destructive pursuit and embrace
dialogue”, like the Militants in the Niger Delta did
before amnesty was granted to them.