*It’s not true, Buhari’s spokeman, Garba Shehu fires back
*Asks Jonathan to tell another story for his 2027 campaign
By Johnbosco Agbakwuru and Kingsley Omonobi
Former President Goodluck Ebele Jonathan disclosed on Friday that Boko Haram insurgents nominated former President Muhammadu Buhari to represent them in negotiations with the Federal Government when his administration considered having a dialogue with the group to seek a non-combatant alternative to end the terrorist group’s activities.
Jonathan made this known at the public presentation of “Scars” ‘Nigeria’s Journey and The Boko Haram Conundrum’, a book authored by former Chief of Defence Staff, General Lucky Irabor, in Abuja.
He said in tackling the insurgency which predated him in 2009, his administration established several committees to explore options for peace with Boko Haram and “during one of such processes, the insurgents put forward General Muhammadu Buhari as their preferred negotiator”.
As a result of that, Jonathan said he believed it would have been easier for Gen Buhari, when he emerged as president, to negotiate with the terrorists to surrender, but the insurgency still persisted.
President Jonathan who recalled the processes he championed as Vice President to late President Umaru Yar’adua that brought militancy to an end in Niger Delta, noted that the inability of Buhari to eradicate Boko Haram terrorists, showed that the crisis was more complex than often portrayed.
His words: “If you conduct research and interview many people, you will only get part of the story, but never the full story of Boko Haram. I was there. Boko Haram started in 2009 when I was vice president. I took over in 2010 and spent five years battling the insurgency until I left office. At one of the committees we set up then, the Boko Haram nominated Buhari to lead their team to negotiate with the government
“So, I was feeling that, if they nominated Buhari to represent them and have a discussion with the government committee, then when Buhari took over, it could have been an easy way to negotiate with them and they would have handed over their guns. I thought that after I left, within a reasonable time, General Buhari would wipe them out. But even today, Boko Haram is still there. The issue of Boko Haram is far more complex than it is often presented.
“So, it’s a bit complex, and not a matter of a single story. But I believe, as a nation, we have to look at the Boko Haram issue differently from the conventional approach. I believe one day we’ll overcome it. “One of the major scars on my government, which will remain on my face, as Bishop Kukah said, and no plastic or cosmetic surgeon can remove it, is the issue of the Chibok girls. It is a scar I will die with. But perhaps later, more details may become known, and that too has to do with Boko Haram. What did they really want? Our chairman of this occasion, (Former President Obasanjo) once raised the issue when he interviewed some of them, and they gave him certain perspectives.
“But I pray that one day, some of the Boko Haram leaders may be literate enough to document what they have done, so that people will truly understand what they wanted. It is similar to the story of the Nigerian Civil War.
“The real issue of Boko Haram was beyond hunger. That was why my administration employed so many strategies but they did not work. If it was only about hunger, we tried different options. But I don’t want to sound like I’m defending my government. That will be left for history when we document our books. But I believe we did our best: we set up different committees and tried various approaches during the five years I was in office. I believe the late Buhari too must have tried his best.
“Once again, let me thank General Irabor for this book, because I always appreciate people who document events clearly. That way, when we write our own accounts, we can borrow from such documentation. I also believe that all the military officers involved in the Boko Haram saga should provide information about what the group truly stood for.
“I believe the government—luckily, with the Defence Minister here and the service chiefs represented—must adopt a slightly different approach. God willing, we will be able to resolve this crisis”.
Jonathan then urged the Tinubu administration to consider the carrot and stick approach to address the insurgency that has lasted over a decade.
He said, “The issue of carrots and the stick may be adopted. Probably the needs are there, but if you look at the weapons they use, and you value the weapons, then you know that these people are not hungry people. So, the soldiers that sometimes capture some of the weapons will see better, but the weapons they use, the ammunition they use, sometimes they even have more ammunition than our soldiers. Where are these guns and sophisticated weapons coming from? And you begin to see that the external hands are also involved, especially when I was president.”
In his remarks at the occasion, President Bola Tinubu, represented by the Minister of Defence, Alhaji Mohammed Abubakar Badaru said, “General Irabor’s book, “SCARS: Nigeria’s Journey and the Boko Haram Conundrum”, is not only history, it provides guidance for the present and serves as a road map for the future.
“A scar tells a story. It reminds us of pain, but it also proves that survival is possible. Therefore, the scars we carry as a nation are evidence of our resilience. They remind us of the sacrifices of our heroes past, soldiers, displaced families and communities scarred but unbroken.
“This book indeed challenges us to learn from those experiences and to build a safer and stable tomorrow. My Administration is committed to that tomorrow.
“Under the Renewed Hope Agenda, we are determined to transform Nigeria into a nation of peace, opportunity and unity. Security is at the heart of this vision. We are modernising our Armed Forces with modern platforms and relevant technology.
“We are also strengthening intelligence gathering capability and deepening regional partnerships to boost collective security. We are investing in a whole-of-the-society approach to security so that peace is not only won on the battlefield but sustained in daily life with participation of the citizens. Let all Nigerians be aware that we will not rest until we defeat all indices of insecurity”. While extending his deepest gratitude to the author for his dedication, research, and commitment to shedding light on this critical issue, Tinubu said, “The work is a testament to the power of ideas and the importance of practical and intellectual engagement in addressing the challenges of our time.
“Let us use this occasion not only to acknowledge the book but also to reaffirm our commitment to working together towards a future where every Nigerian can live without fear, thrive in peace, and contribute to the nation’s greatness. General Irabor’s work is a reminder that every scar is both a warning and a lesson that teaches us never to forget the cost of peace and never to abandon its pursuit.”
Among dignitaries at the occasion were the Sultan of Sokoto, His Eminence, Sa’ad Abubakar lll; Bishop Matthew Hasan Kukah, Catholic Bishop of Sokoto Disease who was the book reviewer; Chief of Defence Staff, General Christopher Gwabin Musa; Major General Babagana Mongonu, former National Security Adviser; Chief of Defence Staff, General Alexander Ogomudia Rtd; Vice Admiral Dele Joseph Ezeoba Rtd and the Minister of Budget and National Planning, Atiku Bagudu.
It’s not true, terrorists didn’t nominate Buhari as their mediator — ex-presidential aide
Reacting to the allegation, loyalists of former President Muhammadu Buhari, have faulted the claim by the ex-President Goodluck Jonathan, telling him to look for another story to tell Nigerians.
Former media aide to the President, Mallam Garba Shehu in a statement on Friday night debunked the Jonathan’s claim, pointing out that in 2014, Buhari escaped a bomb attack on his life by Boko Haram in Kaduna, in which his personal staff suffered various degrees of injury.
The statement read: “We are compelled to make a response to a terrible statement made on the late president Muhammadu Buhari by his predecessor in office, President Goodluck Ebele Jonathan, to the effect that Boko Haram had nominated him to represent them in a dialogue with government.
“If this is a campaign statement towards his bid for the presidency in 2027, we want to say to him that “Mr. Jonathan, you are making a false start.” “Muhammed Yusuf or Abubakar Shekau, the deceased leaders of the Boko Haram terrorist group, never nominated Muhammadu Buhari for any such role. In fact, Shekau routinely denounced and threatened Buhari, and their ideologies were in direct opposition.
“In 2014, Muhammadu Buhari escaped a bomb attack on his life by Boko Haram in Kaduna, in which his personal staff suffered various degrees of injury.”
According to the statement, Buhari’s campaigns focused on fighting Boko Haram and restoring security to Nigeria whenever he became president, putting him in direct opposition to the terrorist group’s leader. It said contrary to the news making the rounds in those years that the radical Islamist extremist –Boko Haram had nominated General Muhammadu Buhari as the mediator between them and the Federal Government of Nigeria in the proposed peace talk, the retired Military General denied knowledge of his nomination.
“What led to the misleading information was that a faction of the terrorist group, possibly sponsored by Buhari’s opponents, staged a press conference in Maiduguri, Borno State, through a certain Abu Mohammed Ibn Abdulaziz, who claimed to be the Boko Haram commander in charge of Southern and Northern Borno, saying that the sect would prefer the former military leader, General Muhammadu Buhari, ex-Yobe State governor and the then Senator, now late Bukar Abba Ibrahim, first Nigerian Minister of Petroleum, Shettima Ali Monguno, also late, Chairman of the Presidential Committee on Insecurity in the North-East, Ambassador Gaji Gatimari, and other prominent members of the Borno Emirate to mediate between them and the federal government.
“Abdulaziz was roundly condemned by the leaders of Boko Haram who claimed that he had “no mandate of their leader, Imam Abubakar Shekau.”
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