Mrchippychappy:
http://thenationonlineng.net/new/news/onaiyekan-consider-amnesty-for-boko-haram/#comment-381589

The calls for amnesty for extremist group, Boko Haram, received a boost yesterday.
The Catholic Archbishop of Abuja, Cardinal John Onaiyekan, implored the Federal Government to consider the possibility.
Though the cleric gave some conditions that must be met before the amnesty is granted, he urged the government to address poverty and corruption before a meaningful turnaround can be achieved.

He warned the government on the precarious nature of state pardon for some convicted persons.
Onaiyekan, in his Easter message, said: “As regards the case of an offer of amnesty to Boko Haram, I believe that we should not discard the consideration of such amnesty.
“Faced with an intractable problem, we have to explore all possible avenues of solution.
“The security response in terms of arms, gadgets and trained personnel is useful and necessary, but obviously not enough on its own.
“The Federal Government will do well to reach out to all political forces and currents, so that the nation can be on the same political page and jointly address this common menace.

“Poverty and unemployment, which are cited as excuses, need to be addressed – and this boils down to the critical issue of good governance at all levels.
“The call for amnesty would seem to me quite appropriate and even necessary.
“I see the call of the Sultan of Sokoto, Sa’ad Abubakar, as an invitation to further discussion and dialogue among Nigerians to sharpen the focus of government action in this matter.
“That discussion has started, for which we should thank the Sultan and his courageous proposal.”
He listed dialogue as a condition to be met by the group. This, he said, include repentance and amendment.
“Before it is eligible for any amnesty, Boko Haram must at least admit that it was wrong to kill innocent people, whatever may have been its grievances.
“If this is not done, it could well continue to feel that it did the right thing and perhaps, it is the rest of us who ought to beg it for pardon.
“As for amendment, it is impossible to bring back the dead.
“But at least a gesture of repentance and apology goes a long way to assuage the sorrow, the hurt and wounds of those who have been hurt and bereaved.
“In such a dialogue, government would be well advised to involve the right kind of people, across board. It should certainly include religious leaders.
“Furthermore, we need not wait for every terrorist to surrender before engaging those who are ready to repent and reconcile,” he said.

On state pardon for convicted persons, the cleric opined that it is an issue that must be carefully weighed by the government in such a way that the laws of the land would not be compromised.
Moreover, he posited that to grant state pardon, some level of genuine repentance and sincere readiness to make amendments must be established.

“Boko Haram may claim to have all kinds of grievances. But the fact is that it has killed innocent people.
“How does the state forgive murderers? How can the government grant amnesty to people who have killed innocent citizens, some in their places of worship?
“The pardon to politicians who have been convicted of criminal misuse of power and massive corruption raises the issue whether the state should pardon someone who has stolen public funds.

“Obviously, the state must handle very carefully whatever powers it has to forgive criminals, otherwise the whole structure of law and order in the society will be seriously compromised.
“There may be political considerations but these cannot be allowed to overthrow moral imperatives.
“This does not mean that the state cannot forgive moral wrong doing.
“It has been done in other countries that claim a high level of democratic culture.

“But it seems to me that in order to do this, there must be at least two conditions, namely genuine repentance and a sincere effort to make amendments.
“Let us see how this applies to the two cases under discussion.”

onupeter:
Gbam! If he can't do that peacefully we're gonna do that with our PVC come 2019... God bless Cardinal John Onaiyekan