Ex-President Goodluck Jonathan has revealed that Boko Haram insurgents once nominated late President Muhammadu Buhari to represent them as a negotiator. Integrity News Understands
Jonathan disclosed this on Friday at the public presentation of Scars, a book authored by former Chief of Defence Staff, Gen. Lucky Irabor (retd.), in Abuja.
The former president said his administration had set up several committees to explore dialogue with the sect, adding that in one of such instances, the insurgents named Buhari as their preferred negotiator.
He added that, based on that, he felt it would have been easy for Buhari, when he emerged as president, to negotiate with the terrorists to surrender, but the insurgency persisted.
Jonathan stated, “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, oh, 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. But it was still there till today.”
Jonathan noted that the inability of Buhari to eradicate Boko Haram terrorists showed that the crisis was more complex than often portrayed.
Jonathan stated, “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, oh, 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. But it was still there till today.”
Jonathan noted that the inability of Buhari to eradicate Boko Haram terrorists showed that the crisis was more complex than often portrayed.
“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 described the abduction of the Chibok schoolgirls in 2014 as a permanent scar on his administration.
The former president added that he hoped some leaders of the insurgent group would eventually document their actions, similar to how key actors of the Nigerian Civil War wrote their own accounts, to provide clarity on the insurgency’s motives.
He said, “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 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.”
Jonathan urged the current administration to consider a carrot-and-stick approach, stressing that the group’s sophisticated weapons suggested external support beyond mere hunger or poverty.
He said, “Issue of carrots and the stick may be adopted, and yes, probably the needs are there, but if you look at the weapons they use, and you value the weapons, then you know that these are not hungry
“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, sophisticated weapons coming from? And you begin to see that the external hands are also involved, especially when I was president. ”
Boko Haram emerged in the early 2000s in Borno State, but became a major security threat after its leader, Mohammed Yusuf, was killed in police custody in 2009.
The group escalated its violent campaign against the Nigerian state, including bombings, mass abductions and attacks on military and civilian targets.
In 2012, at the height of Boko Haram’s violence, reports surfaced that the sect named Buhari among respected northern leaders they trusted to mediate between them and the government.
Buhari, however, publicly rejected the offer at the time, accusing the Jonathan administration of trying to drag his name into the crisis for political reasons.