My Boko Haram saga, by negotiator Stephen
Davis on september 07, 2014 at 1:33 am in news Facebook Share Twitter Share By Soni Daniel I first met Dr. Stephen Davis at the American Centre for
Strategic and International Studies, Washington, in June
2009. At that time, the Australian was assisting the Federal
Government of Nigeria to broker peace with the irate Niger
Delta militants, who had taken up arms against the
administration and almost rendered its oil-dependent economy comatose through oil theft, destruction of facilities
and kidnapping of oil workers. We lost contact until I got to know that he had been
involved in the effort to free the Chibok girls. Some other
reports claimed he was hired by government to negotiate
with Boko Haram. However, in this interview, Davies makes it clear he was
never engaged by the Nigerian government to dialogue with
the sect. Excerpts of the interview. What do you have to show that you were engaged by the
Nigerian government to negotiate with Boko Haram?
I was not engaged by the Federal Government of Nigeria,
any state government or any other party. I went to Nigeria
in late April in an effort to facilitate a handover of the
Chibok captives after discussing such a possibility with former commanders of JAS (Jama’atu Ahlul Sunnah Lih
Da’awa wal Jihad otherwise known as JAS) and others close
to Boko Haram.
Why did you release the report of your assignment to the
media instead of sending it to government? I did not construct a report of my efforts in Nigeria. As I said
earlier, I was not engaged by any party and therefore had
no obligation to report to anyone. Some Nigerians find it curious that you decided to give your
report only to Arise TV, owned by a Nigerian, Nduka
Obiagbena, who also owns Thisday Newspapers and may be
sympathetic to some politicians in Nigeria. I gave a radio interview to the ABC in Australia which
subsequently told me that after the transcript was posted to
their online site, it had been picked up in the UK and Sky
News requested an interview. In the hope of bringing
attention to the many other girls and boys kidnapped by
Boko Haram, I agreed to a television interview. That interview took place in Channel 7 studios in Australia and it
was at that point that I was told it was an interview with
Arise TV. I had not heard of Arise TV and did not know it was
owned by a Nigerian or indeed that it had any association
with Nigeria. At the time of giving the TV interview, I was of
the understanding that it would be broadcast by Sky News in the UK. On Mr Obiagbena, I have not met him or ever been
contacted by him. Many Nigerians find it extremely difficult to understand how
the former Chief of the Army Staff, Lt. Gen. Ihejirika, who
actually fought Boko Haram elements and was accused of
genocide could be linked with sponsoring the violent group. It is much easier to understand Mr Sheriff’s alleged
association with Boko Haram than any association of Mr
Ihejirika. Mr Sheriff was said to have a long history of
promoting groups to assist in his past efforts to win the
governorship of Borno State. On 29 July 2009, there was a
confrontation with security officers at Mamudo Village, along Potiskum/Damaturu Road, Yobe. 33 JAS members were
killed. Later that night, there was a long battle with
combined security operatives at Railway Terminus,
Maiduguri, Borno State. Scores were killed and the JAS
operational base was destroyed. Yusuf was subsequently
captured by the military and handed over to the police. The JAS alleged that it was on Sheriff’s orders that Yusuf was
executed in Maiduguri on 30 July 2009. Shekau was
presumed killed in the same battle and a corpse was
identified as that of Shekau. Thus the remaining JAS leaders
made it clear their intention was to kill Sheriff and so it is
right that Sheriff claims he is a victim of JAS. The Boko Haram we see today is not the JAS that was operational
under Yusuf. Shekau emerged in mid-2010 and publicly
claimed the leadership of a reinvigorated JAS. Shekau formed Ansaru which he used for kidnapping and
beheading victims. This behaviour was a major departure
from the original mandate of the JAS which was to purify
Islam and return it to the behaviour example in the life of
the Prophet. Many among the JAS leadership are no longer
active and others have been killed. This has allowed Shekau to take the JAS to more extreme action and expanded the
kidnapping, bombing and slaughtering. The Boko Haram we
have today is a much expanded Ansaru. What we see now is
not the Yusufiya which wanted very much to settle scores
with Sheriff. It is Boko Haram as a partner to ISIS and Al
Shabaab. Now I will offer an opinion as to the motives of the sponsors
of Boko Haram.The political sponsors of Boko Haram seem to
think that they can use Boko Haram to terrorise Nigeria to
demonstrate that the current government cannot ensure the
security of Nigerian citizens both Muslim and Christian.
Therein the sponsors assume they can undermine any efforts of the current government to be re-elected in 2015.
Herein lies the flaw for the conflict and instability currently
being fanned suits the aims of Al Qa’eda and the architects
of terrorism. Should the sponsors of Boko Haram win
government in 2015, they will likely find that they cannot
turn Boko Haram off or that Boko Haram will demand control of at least Borno State in return for reducing their
attacks. Borno State may be just the beginning of an
expanding caliphate. Several Boko Haram commanders and other persons close to
and respected by Boko Haram have told me the names of
some of the sponsors of Boko Haram. They have also
described how some funds are transferred and arms made
available. I have made public some of that information. I
have also been told by some commanders that if one of the sponsors is arrested, they will surrender, release the girls
and give information on the sponsors. Not all Boko Haram
commanders will follow this lead but it may be a firm step
towards dismantling or at least isolating Boko Haram.
See more at: http://www.vanguardngr.com/2014/09/boko- haram-saga-negotiator-stephen-davis/#sthash.iqK5lfai.dpuf[b]My Boko Haram saga, by negotiator Stephen
Davis on september 07, 2014 at 1:33 am in news Facebook Share Twitter Share By Soni Daniel I first met Dr. Stephen Davis at the American Centre for
Strategic and International Studies, Washington, in June
2009. At that time, the Australian was assisting the Federal
Government of Nigeria to broker peace with the irate Niger
Delta militants, who had taken up arms against the
administration and almost rendered its oil-dependent economy comatose through oil theft, destruction of facilities
and kidnapping of oil workers. We lost contact until I got to know that he had been
involved in the effort to free the Chibok girls. Some other
reports claimed he was hired by government to negotiate
with Boko Haram. However, in this interview, Davies makes it clear he was
never engaged by the Nigerian government to dialogue with
the sect. Excerpts of the interview. What do you have to show that you were engaged by the
Nigerian government to negotiate with Boko Haram?
I was not engaged by the Federal Government of Nigeria,
any state government or any other party. I went to Nigeria
in late April in an effort to facilitate a handover of the
Chibok captives after discussing such a possibility with former commanders of JAS (Jama’atu Ahlul Sunnah Lih
Da’awa wal Jihad otherwise known as JAS) and others close
to Boko Haram.
Why did you release the report of your assignment to the
media instead of sending it to government? I did not construct a report of my efforts in Nigeria. As I said
earlier, I was not engaged by any party and therefore had
no obligation to report to anyone. Some Nigerians find it curious that you decided to give your
report only to Arise TV, owned by a Nigerian, Nduka
Obiagbena, who also owns Thisday Newspapers and may be
sympathetic to some politicians in Nigeria. I gave a radio interview to the ABC in Australia which
subsequently told me that after the transcript was posted to
their online site, it had been picked up in the UK and Sky
News requested an interview. In the hope of bringing
attention to the many other girls and boys kidnapped by
Boko Haram, I agreed to a television interview. That interview took place in Channel 7 studios in Australia and it
was at that point that I was told it was an interview with
Arise TV. I had not heard of Arise TV and did not know it was
owned by a Nigerian or indeed that it had any association
with Nigeria. At the time of giving the TV interview, I was of
the understanding that it would be broadcast by Sky News in the UK. On Mr Obiagbena, I have not met him or ever been
contacted by him. Many Nigerians find it extremely difficult to understand how
the former Chief of the Army Staff, Lt. Gen. Ihejirika, who
actually fought Boko Haram elements and was accused of
genocide could be linked with sponsoring the violent group. It is much easier to understand Mr Sheriff’s alleged
association with Boko Haram than any association of Mr
Ihejirika. Mr Sheriff was said to have a long history of
promoting groups to assist in his past efforts to win the
governorship of Borno State. On 29 July 2009, there was a
confrontation with security officers at Mamudo Village, along Potiskum/Damaturu Road, Yobe. 33 JAS members were
killed. Later that night, there was a long battle with
combined security operatives at Railway Terminus,
Maiduguri, Borno State. Scores were killed and the JAS
operational base was destroyed. Yusuf was subsequently
captured by the military and handed over to the police. The JAS alleged that it was on Sheriff’s orders that Yusuf was
executed in Maiduguri on 30 July 2009. Shekau was
presumed killed in the same battle and a corpse was
identified as that of Shekau. Thus the remaining JAS leaders
made it clear their intention was to kill Sheriff and so it is
right that Sheriff claims he is a victim of JAS. The Boko Haram we see today is not the JAS that was operational
under Yusuf. Shekau emerged in mid-2010 and publicly
claimed the leadership of a reinvigorated JAS. Shekau formed Ansaru which he used for kidnapping and
beheading victims. This behaviour was a major departure
from the original mandate of the JAS which was to purify
Islam and return it to the behaviour example in the life of
the Prophet. Many among the JAS leadership are no longer
active and others have been killed. This has allowed Shekau to take the JAS to more extreme action and expanded the
kidnapping, bombing and slaughtering. The Boko Haram we
have today is a much expanded Ansaru. What we see now is
not the Yusufiya which wanted very much to settle scores
with Sheriff. It is Boko Haram as a partner to ISIS and Al
Shabaab. Now I will offer an opinion as to the motives of the sponsors
of Boko Haram.The political sponsors of Boko Haram seem to
think that they can use Boko Haram to terrorise Nigeria to
demonstrate that the current government cannot ensure the
security of Nigerian citizens both Muslim and Christian.
Therein the sponsors assume they can undermine any efforts of the current government to be re-elected in 2015.
Herein lies the flaw for the conflict and instability currently
being fanned suits the aims of Al Qa’eda and the architects
of terrorism. Should the sponsors of Boko Haram win
government in 2015, they will likely find that they cannot
turn Boko Haram off or that Boko Haram will demand control of at least Borno State in return for reducing their
attacks. Borno State may be just the beginning of an
expanding caliphate. Several Boko Haram commanders and other persons close to
and respected by Boko Haram have told me the names of
some of the sponsors of Boko Haram. They have also
described how some funds are transferred and arms made
available. I have made public some of that information. I
have also been told by some commanders that if one of the sponsors is arrested, they will surrender, release the girls
and give information on the sponsors. Not all Boko Haram
commanders will follow this lead but it may be a firm step
towards dismantling or at least isolating Boko Haram.
See more at: http://www.vanguardngr.com/2014/09/boko- haram-saga-negotiator-stephen-davis/#sthash.iqK5lfai.dpuf[/b]My Boko Haram saga, by negotiator Stephen
Davis on september 07, 2014 at 1:33 am in news Facebook Share Twitter Share By Soni Daniel I first met Dr. Stephen Davis at the American Centre for
Strategic and International Studies, Washington, in June
2009. At that time, the Australian was assisting the Federal
Government of Nigeria to broker peace with the irate Niger
Delta militants, who had taken up arms against the
administration and almost rendered its oil-dependent economy comatose through oil theft, destruction of facilities
and kidnapping of oil workers. We lost contact until I got to know that he had been
involved in the effort to free the Chibok girls. Some other
reports claimed he was hired by government to negotiate
with Boko Haram. However, in this interview, Davies makes it clear he was
never engaged by the Nigerian government to dialogue with
the sect. Excerpts of the interview. What do you have to show that you were engaged by the
Nigerian government to negotiate with Boko Haram?
I was not engaged by the Federal Government of Nigeria,
any state government or any other party. I went to Nigeria
in late April in an effort to facilitate a handover of the
Chibok captives after discussing such a possibility with former commanders of JAS (Jama’atu Ahlul Sunnah Lih
Da’awa wal Jihad otherwise known as JAS) and others close
to Boko Haram.
Why did you release the report of your assignment to the
media instead of sending it to government? I did not construct a report of my efforts in Nigeria. As I said
earlier, I was not engaged by any party and therefore had
no obligation to report to anyone. Some Nigerians find it curious that you decided to give your
report only to Arise TV, owned by a Nigerian, Nduka
Obiagbena, who also owns Thisday Newspapers and may be
sympathetic to some politicians in Nigeria. I gave a radio interview to the ABC in Australia which
subsequently told me that after the transcript was posted to
their online site, it had been picked up in the UK and Sky
News requested an interview. In the hope of bringing
attention to the many other girls and boys kidnapped by
Boko Haram, I agreed to a television interview. That interview took place in Channel 7 studios in Australia and it
was at that point that I was told it was an interview with
Arise TV. I had not heard of Arise TV and did not know it was
owned by a Nigerian or indeed that it had any association
with Nigeria. At the time of giving the TV interview, I was of
the understanding that it would be broadcast by Sky News in the UK. On Mr Obiagbena, I have not met him or ever been
contacted by him. Many Nigerians find it extremely difficult to understand how
the former Chief of the Army Staff, Lt. Gen. Ihejirika, who
actually fought Boko Haram elements and was accused of
genocide could be linked with sponsoring the violent group. It is much easier to understand Mr Sheriff’s alleged
association with Boko Haram than any association of Mr
Ihejirika. Mr Sheriff was said to have a long history of
promoting groups to assist in his past efforts to win the
governorship of Borno State. On 29 July 2009, there was a
confrontation with security officers at Mamudo Village, along Potiskum/Damaturu Road, Yobe. 33 JAS members were
killed. Later that night, there was a long battle with
combined security operatives at Railway Terminus,
Maiduguri, Borno State. Scores were killed and the JAS
operational base was destroyed. Yusuf was subsequently
captured by the military and handed over to the police. The JAS alleged that it was on Sheriff’s orders that Yusuf was
executed in Maiduguri on 30 July 2009. Shekau was
presumed killed in the same battle and a corpse was
identified as that of Shekau. Thus the remaining JAS leaders
made it clear their intention was to kill Sheriff and so it is
right that Sheriff claims he is a victim of JAS. The Boko Haram we see today is not the JAS that was operational
under Yusuf. Shekau emerged in mid-2010 and publicly
claimed the leadership of a reinvigorated JAS. Shekau formed Ansaru which he used for kidnapping and
beheading victims. This behaviour was a major departure
from the original mandate of the JAS which was to purify
Islam and return it to the behaviour example in the life of
the Prophet. Many among the JAS leadership are no longer
active and others have been killed. This has allowed Shekau to take the JAS to more extreme action and expanded the
kidnapping, bombing and slaughtering. The Boko Haram we
have today is a much expanded Ansaru. What we see now is
not the Yusufiya which wanted very much to settle scores
with Sheriff. It is Boko Haram as a partner to ISIS and Al
Shabaab. Now I will offer an opinion as to the motives of the sponsors
of Boko Haram.The political sponsors of Boko Haram seem to
think that they can use Boko Haram to terrorise Nigeria to
demonstrate that the current government cannot ensure the
security of Nigerian citizens both Muslim and Christian.
Therein the sponsors assume they can undermine any efforts of the current government to be re-elected in 2015.
Herein lies the flaw for the conflict and instability currently
being fanned suits the aims of Al Qa’eda and the architects
of terrorism. Should the sponsors of Boko Haram win
government in 2015, they will likely find that they cannot
turn Boko Haram off or that Boko Haram will demand control of at least Borno State in return for reducing their
attacks. Borno State may be just the beginning of an
expanding caliphate. Several Boko Haram commanders and other persons close to
and respected by Boko Haram have told me the names of
some of the sponsors of Boko Haram. They have also
described how some funds are transferred and arms made
available. I have made public some of that information. I
have also been told by some commanders that if one of the sponsors is arrested, they will surrender, release the girls
and give information on the sponsors. Not all Boko Haram
commanders will follow this lead but it may be a firm step
towards dismantling or at least isolating Boko Haram.
See more at: http://www.vanguardngr.com/2014/09/boko- haram-saga-negotiator-stephen-davis/#sthash.iqK5lfai.dpuf

The post is so hot
the op made us read it twice

I have made public some of that information. I
have also been told by some commanders that if one of the sponsors is arrested, they will surrender, release the girls
and give information on the sponsors.

FG arrest one of them, let's see if they will release the girls.

This Australian dude believes everything from the mouth of bokoharam commanders.

negotiator ko investigator ni.

siddon look na dog name
make we dey watch

I
have also been told by some
commanders that if one of the sponsors
is arrested, they will surrender, release
the girls
and give information on the sponsors.

This sounds so childish. This white guy actually believes EVERYTHING a group of blood-thirsty terrorists tells him?

By the way, what has happened to Senator Ali Ndume? How about those that swore to make Nigeria ungovernable if they lose election?

All this "info" na wash!

jmoore:

FG arrest one of them, let's see if they will release the girls.

This Australian dude believes everything from the mouth of bokoharam commanders.

negotiator ko investigator ni.

I thought some politicians were arrested before, was that not enough for the said negotiation?
I fear that ISIS mentioned there.