A new plan by President Goodluck Jonathan to grant amnesty to members of the violent Boko Haram sect has upset Nigeria’s military chiefs.

Sources at the Presidential Villa, where the military brass met with the President for several hours today, said they tried in vain to convince Mr. Jonathan not to fall into the trap that has been set for him by prominent northern leaders on the issue.

They were said to have told him the security implications of the action and that it could also be interpreted to mean that the President is not a man of his word. Mr. Jonathan has flip-flopped on federal policy against Boko Haram since he took office in 2010.

The military bosses reminded him of his words when he visited Borno State a few weeks ago when he said that there was no way he would grant amnesty to ghosts, stressing that nothing has changed. Mr. Jonathan once said there were members of Boko Haram in his government, but it is not clear if they are still ghosts or he has identified them.

He was also said to have been reminded that many of their men and other security officers have been indiscriminately killed, warning him that telling the rank and file the decision on amnesty could ignite anger in the barracks.

At the end of the lengthy discussion, which lasted for five hours, the President had his way against the genuine advice of the military chiefs, except one. He set up a committee to handle the issue of amnesty.

The committee, whose members are yet to be announced, is to work with the office of the National Security Adviser.

A Presidential source said that the committee will consider the feasibility or otherwise of granting pardon to the Boko Haram members and collate the views of those clamouring for amnesty, as well as recommend modalities for the granting of pardon should such a policy be adopted.

President Jonathan seems to have adopted the argument of the northern elements after meeting with some of their prominent members in Abuja on Wednesday night. Although today he seem highly disposed to the amnesty idea, he is known to change his mind fairly easily.

http://saharareporters.com/news-page/military-chiefs-outraged-over-jonathan’s-plan-grant-boko-haram-amnesty

It's a shame that the presidency is now a joke.

very shocking

Opportunity to enrich all the northern youths. GEJ, I don't know how to defend you again oo.

Double post

It's very pathetic. I weep for my dear country

Jonathan just lost south eastern votes. What a shame.

Typical of SR. Is this not the same SR that has been the mouth piece of Boko haram all the while? SR is the NUMBER ONE propagator of the activities of Boko haram.

Since the Boko haram mayhem started, no suggestion of possible ways of ending the crisis has emanated from SR. Not even one. All we read is criticisms of any strategy adopted by govt.

What do I expect next from SR? I expect SR to blast us very soon with a news report with a headline like "Boko haram rejects amnesty". Watch out!

The conclusion that can be drawn from the attitude of SR is that they want the crisis to continue. SR is profiting from the crisis.

Even if the president had said no to amnesty to Boko haram and 99% of leaders from that region are suggesting amnesty as the way forward, it is only wise and sensible for the president to give amnesty a try. Otherwise, leaders from that region would accuse the president of being insensitive.

Again, if the leaders of the north are clamouring for amnesty, and the govt bends backwards to consider amnesty, the onus will be on the leaders in the north to persuade Boko haram members to come out from hiding and embrace amnesty.

And Why should military chiefs be enraged over amnesty? I'm sure the foot solders that die daily in this conflict wouldn't mind amnesty if that will bring peace.

Though, I'm skeptical about whether Boko haram will accept amnesty and peace but the leaders of the north know better. In any case, if the govt eventually grants amnesty and certain elements of Boko haram remain recalcitrant, then the president would be justified in using maximum force.

Furthermore, elements of Boko haram that remain recalcitrant after amnesty will lose a measure of sympathy they currently enjoy from some segments in the north.

Consequently, any subsequent action of the govt will enjoy greater support and cooperation in the north.


However, the security forces should be very vigilant even if the govt goes ahead to offer amnesty. This is to avoid the sect re-grouping within the period.

But my attitude has always been, if amnesty will bring relative peace and allow us to move on as a country, why not? If asked to choose between amnesty leading to immediate relative peace and another 5 to 10yrs of fighting and killings, which will you choose?

Some of these military chiefs should remember that they take orders from the commander in chief and that military rule is over. GEJ needs to make an example of a few of them by retiring them instantly.

uncle gej i hail ooo.indecision wan finish this goat.I ban super eagles,I no ban them again.na mend do independent day bombing,no be mend.I change unilag to maulag, i no change again.I can't grant ghost amnesty, I will grant them again.what sort of low life shyte scumbag did we vote has president. even my pet rabbit is more decisive than this cloned orangutan.

Hmm! na wa oo! granting these blood thirsty murderers amnesty is like starting afresh all over again. these boys will go back and continue committing their violent acts. somebody should tell GEJ that you cant grant amnesty to a faceless group that are hell bent on bringing your govt down at all cost. Granting them amnesty is not the solution.

If democracy is the government of, by and for the people, I see no reason why the President shouldn't try to reconcile his decisions with that of majority opinion.

Remember, he is a politician and is still eyeing for a second term mandate from the same people he refuses their opinions.

Even God in the bible ask humans to come and reason with him, and in another verse God said, present your strong reasons.

My conclusion is, apart from the portion I deleted from your text, GEJ or any leader in a democratic setting should not be autocratic rather a listening leader.

eggheaders: uncle gej i hail ooo.indecision wan finish this goat.I ban super eagles,I no ban them again.I change unilag to maulag, i no change again.I can't grant ghost amnesty, I will grant them again.what sort of low life shyte scumbag did we vote has president. even my pet rabbit is more decisive than this cloned orangutan.

If amnesty will bring peace, why not?

Or do you people prefer the bombs that have been dropping to peace?

The govt will find it hard to crush BH physically because BH do not have a standing army that is fighting a frontal war against the govt. They're like a guerrilla outfit. Hide and seek. To really go at them would mean mass casualties of the innocent. Nobody wants that, so the next thing is amnesty. Let God judge the killers in His own time.

I would listen to the military service chiefs if I were Jonathan. It is an indirect insult on them that the same murderous gang that killed many of their own is allowed to walked away, probably with payments sef.
The more Nigeria wobbles along, the more obvious the flawed foundation, and the more likely the future will be settled by extreme violence.

But come on, who gave the president this advice? I honestly think that whoever gave the president this advice must be the greatest enemy of Nigeria.

Justice is good and great. However, truth, repentance and reconciliation are preferable if and only if, the exercise will bring lasting peace and security.

If Boko Boys and Girls will come back to their senses that their ideology of Islamizing Northern Nigeria is futile and Dead on arrival.

If the Cabals sponsoring Boko Boys and Girls for religious and political reasons have come to the conclusion that this business is a fruitless venture and want to save the remainder of their already damaged reputation and completely abandon this monster.

I am of the opinion, that Truth (ascertaining the level of lost incurred by Boko Haram victims families and compensating them in a fair and justifiable manner) and Reconciliation (granting amnesty to Boko Haram operatives on the condition that what had happened will never happen again) Committee should be setup up to end this insecurity issues for a lasting peace to reign.

I know there are international best practices in fighting terrorism and that's where the Military Chiefs are basing their rejection of this Amnesty proposal. However, let's remember that US military chiefs will always say that insurgency cannot be defeated militarily without Political dimension / reconciliation.

Let's try Nigerian formula, remember amnesty was granted to Kidnappers in Abia State on a certain condition which the Kidnapper broke before JTF was then fully mobilized to crush them without mercy.

Sincere 9gerian: Double post

Are u sure ds ur oga at d top is worth defending again?
I reserve my comments till after d proposed amnesty.

This might be it for me, as far as supporting Jonathan is concerned.
If this amnesty to mass murderers proves true, and he goes through with it, I will stop supporting him.

I am a Christian, and God FROWNS SERIOUSLY at killing of innocent people, and sweeping such matters under the carpet.
He wiped out big nations like Babylon (and will continue to do so in the future) just because of such things.

Who will pay for the blood of MILLIONS of innocents who died since Nigeria became a nation?

The more this question goes unanswered, the more certain Nigeria's destiny with destruction becomes.
No nation makes it without God's approval.

Oya amnesty committee over to you. If I were you, I would wash my hands and feet off this one!

Onlytruth: I would listen to the military service chiefs if I were Jonathan. It is an indirect insult on them that the same murderous gang that killed many of their own is allowed to walked away, probably with payments sef.
The more Nigeria wobbles along, the more obvious the flawed foundation, and the more likely the future will be settled by extreme violence.

But come on, who gave the president this advice? I honestly think that whoever gave the president this advice must be the greatest enemy of Nigeria.

The faceless and supposedly outraged military chiefs are cowards and unfit to be military chiefs. You don't go around acting like politicians when you are supposed to be professional soldiers. As soon as they are identified, they should be relieved of their offices and possibly court marshaled. Their wings must be cut before they start believing that they can fly.

If you are in the military, you are trained not to be emotional like Dan Daudus,or offended by the actions of your superiors. You take orders and say Yes Sir and shut up!! That is what you are trained to do.

ndu_chucks:

The faceless and supposedly outraged military chiefs are cowards and unfit to be military chiefs. You don't go around acting like politicians when you are supposed to be professional soldiers. As soon as they are identified, they should be relieved of their offices and possibly court marshaled. Their wings must be cut before they start believing that they can fly.

If you are in the military, you are trained not to be emotional like Dan Daudus,or offended by the actions of your superiors. You take orders and say Yes Sir and shut up!! That is what you are trained to do.

Let me tell you something I suspect you don't know about. I've been ignoring your usual insults on those of us who abhor mass murder, those who condemn killing of innocent Nigerians with impunity. You call us "effeminate" and "emotional". I call you WEAK and FOOLISH.
You know why I call you those?
The strongest army in the middle East (the mighty Israeli army) ALWAYS go out of their way (ALWAYS) to avoid killing Palestinians unnecessarily, even when they can do so with total impunity. You know why they do that? Israel understands the role of GOD in human affairs.
No matter how strong an army is, that army can never win a war against an opponent supported by God.

TRUE STRENGTH is found NOT in killing defenseless people, but in SAVING them.
Strength is found in defending the weak, not the strong.
A truly strong man fights STRONG enemy, not weak ones.

You are a very weak man my friend, and you know it!

As for the army officers, well, they can do whatever, but they must never forget that they swore an oath to defend the rest of Nigerians against all enemies killing them wantonly in their own country. That is their only job -to keep the citizens safe.

ndu_chucks:

The faceless and supposedly outraged military chiefs are cowards and unfit to be military chiefs. You don't go around acting like politicians when you are supposed to be professional soldiers. As soon as they are identified, they should be relieved of their offices and possibly court marshaled. Their wings must be cut before they start believing that they can fly.

If you are in the military, you are trained not to be emotional like Dan Daudus,or offended by the actions of your superiors. You take orders and say Yes Sir and shut up!! That is what you are trained to do.

This shows that you are a fool. If your mother that carried you in the womb for 40 weeks was a victim of Boko Haram, then we should give her killer, and those protecting them your money right?

There's a reason to have service chiefs, which ARE political appointments. They are to advice the president and carry out operations of security. They are acting very much in their capacity and have so far fought against any stupid amnesty for criminals.

Now MEND, MASSOB, OPC, and all new groups can and should demand the same thing, and we'll see that Lord Lugard's cage would have finally expired a century exactly later.

The Northerners already receieve the bulk of state allocations, federal projects, political appointments, senators, ambassadors, and countless other perks, and instead of stripping the governors who refuse to develop their states allocation, they want to take from the poor and give to these clowns even more loot.

And befor eyou know it, this amnesty will buy even better bombs from Iran to use at UNILAG abi Moshood Abiola Uniy.

Onlytruth:

Let me tell you something I suspect you don't know about. I've been ignoring your usual insults on those of us who abhor mass murder, those who condemn killing of innocent Nigerians with impunity. You call us "effeminate" and "emotional". I call you WEAK and FOOLISH.
You know why I call you those?
The strongest army in the middle East (the mighty Israeli army) ALWAYS go out of their way (ALWAYS) to avoid killing Palestinians unnecessarily, even when they can do so with total impunity. You know why they do that? Israel understands the role of GOD in human affairs.
No matter how strong an army is, that army can never win a war against an opponent supported by God.

TRUE STRENGTH is found NOT in killing defenseless people, but in SAVING them.
Strength is found in defending the weak, not the strong.
A truly strong man fights STRONG enemy, not weak ones.

You are a very weak man my friend, and you know it!

shatap dia!! Do you think Nigerians from certain regions are better than those from other regions in the eyes of God? For your information, the Northerners have suffered more casualties than you people from BH bombs, in addition to being victims of indiscriminate killings by JTF. You should be outraged by the killing of any innocent Nigerian regardless of his/her state or region of origin. Your problem is that you still look at Northerners as inferior to you and you believe that your people are more special. I say shame on you for that! olodo

As for the army officers, well, they can do whatever, but they must never forget that they swore an oath to defend the rest of Nigerians against all enemies killing them wantonly in their own country. That is their only job -to keep the citizens safe.

Wrong sir!! The President swore an oath to defend Nigerians against all enemies. The army officers take orders from their civilian commander-in-chief. Don't get it twisted.

mens dept:

This shows that you are a fool.

Intellectual Midget ka obu. Ewu can beer

Onlytruth: This might be it for me, as far as supporting Jonathan is concerned.
If this amnesty to mass murderers proves true, and he goes through with it, I will stop supporting him.

I am a Christian, and God FROWNS SERIOUSLY at killing of innocent people, and sweeping such matters under the carpet.
He wiped out big nations like Babylon (and will continue to do so in the future) just because of such things.

Who will pay for the blood of MILLIONS of innocents who died since Nigeria became a nation?

The more this question goes unanswered, the more certain Nigeria's destiny with destruction becomes.
No nation makes it without God's approval.

Oya amnesty committee over to you. If I were you, I would wash my hands and feet off this one!

The bolded line, i will do the same even though before this bad news, i was GEJ supporter.
President Mahinda Rajapaksa of Sri Lanka did not grant amnesty to Tamil Tigers(which was more powerful than Boko haram, the only group in history to assassinate two world leaders) he fought them to a standstill and eventually defeated them.
If Jonathan can not defeat those guys it means he has failed, good leadership goes beyond building roads and promising uninterrupted power supply. The president does not know the implication of what he is trying to do.
I can now agree that truly crime pays in Nigeria, this is another way of encouraging other criminals to carry arms against the people and the state. I sympathize with those that lost their love ones through these senseless bombings. Innocent ones are killed and forgotten, while their killers would be rewarded and given pat on the back.
Very sad indeed.

Its not gonna be easy to defeat BH because even in th military, the have sympathizers. The truth is that Naija was planned to fail through tribal and religious sentiments.

If this is true, Jonathan will lose the support of many of his core backers (Igbos).

So many innocent Christians have perished because of these terrorist and he wants to give them amnesty?

You do not negotiate with terrorist! What about those who lost loved ones because of these monsters? What will Jonathan say to them?

Amnesty with stipends might really not be bad as some of us see it if it used as a political gambit, presently the defense budget is about N900B per year which is sapping a lot of money that might be needed to boost other Areas of the Nigerian Economy . if you Bring out say N100B per year to spend on terrorist like Boko Haram/Jambs while the remaining half of the defense budget N400B goes to defense and the other half N400B is channeled back to capital projects it will help to boost economy/infrastructure .

The Big Problem is when the violence does not stop after the Amnesty and when other terrorist organisation spring up from North west or North Central.

ndu_chucks: Some of these military chiefs should remember that they take orders from the commander in chief and that military rule is over. GEJ needs to make an example of a few of them by retiring them instantly.

no mind them. Some of the military chiefs profited from the billions released to fight boko with force and yet nothing to show that boko could be tamed in the nearest future. A listening Gej have now given a chance to superior argument for the sake of peace. I must commend him for this decision and enjoin all oppostions to join hands with him to see that we make the very best outta this and also make this the last time the state will ever reward crimminality or terrorism. He should also involve all the notable men who voiced genuine support for amnesty in the process. God bless the fedreal republic of Nigeria.

Chubhie: no mind them. Some of the military chiefs profited from the billions released to fight boko with force and yet nothing to show that boko could be tamed in the nearest future. A listening Gej have now given a chance to superior argument for the sake of peace. I must commend him for this decision and enjoin all oppostions to join hands with him to see that we make the very best outta this and also make this the last time the state will ever reward crimminality or terrorism. He should also involve all the notable men who voiced genuine support for amnesty in the process. God bless the fedreal republic of Nigeria.

The military Chiefs are 100% right, Nigeria has spent so much money fighting internal wars. Since independence Nigeria's war has been 99.9% internal and 0.1% external (peace keeping) it is only in Nigeria that more soldiers and policemen have died outside the war front killed by the citizens that they are paid to protect.
If you give Amnesty to a terrorist group responsible for destabilizing internal security then what would you do for the soldiers who died fighting to preserve the internal security this is what the Military chiefs argument is.

kettykin:


The military Chiefs are 100% right, Nigeria has spent so much money fighting internal wars. Since independence Nigeria's war has been 99.9% internal and 0.1% external (peace keeping) it is only in Nigeria that more soldiers and policemen have died outside the war front killed by the citizens that they are paid to protect.
If you give Amnesty to a terrorist group responsible for destabilizing internal security then what would you do for the soldiers who died fighting to preserve the internal security this is what the Military chiefs argument is.

I understand you. But, the military cheifs arguments bout what becomes of soldiers who died in the course of national duty to the state cant hold water. Would they have prefered fighting a war without end that leads to colleteral damages on the side of soldiers and innocent citizens and drains over 900 billion from the state? They sit in their fancy offices and assume otherwise. They may as well undermine the peace process.

ndu_chucks: Some of these military chiefs should remember that they take orders from the commander in chief and that military rule is over. GEJ needs to make an example of a few of them by retiring them instantly.

And install Boko Haram supporters in the army, such as Major-Gen Mohammed Isah, Brig Raji, and many more, that are patiently waiting for any opportunity to eliminate him?

Chubhie: I understand you. But, the military cheifs arguments bout what becomes of soldiers who died in the course of national duty to the state cant hold water. Would they have prefered fighting a war without end that leads to colleteral damages on the side of soldiers and innocent citizens and drains over 900 billion from the state? They sit in their fancy offices and assume otherwise. They may as well undermine the peace process.

Should the Nigerian Army be selective in their approach to the Wars they fight , the same Nigerian Army lost more than 200000 soldiers in the Nigerian Civil war in 1967 preferring to use sabotage of farm lands and bombing of civilian targets targets rather than pure professional military engagement to win a war this was despite heavy foreign support of Soviet union, Arab world and Britain.
These are the same people who signed off a part of Nigeria to win a war!.

i am simply suggesting amnesty as a decoy for GEJ government so that he can handle tangible developmental projects rather than being distracted by frustrated and ambition less political jobbers in the North and south west who see the presidency as their only hope .

GEJ should not even consider doing it else not only does he risk losing the goodwill of the populace but he will also put an end to his political career and will forever put his name and that of his future generations as turn-coats.

[quote author=eggheaders]uncle gej i hail ooo.indecision wan finish this goat.I ban super eagles,I no ban them again.na mend do independent day bombing,no be mend.I change unilag to maulag, i no change again.I can't grant ghost amnesty, I will grant them again.what sort of low life shyte scumbag did we vote has president. even my pet rabbit is more decisive than this cloned orangutan. [/quote
At least Nigerians. Know hhe is better than Ur father in d village, jumping up and down with peop Wives and widows. If people here don't know, I do. slowpoke

What's wrong with having a. Listening president who bends his decision to accomodate people's opinion? The same people that elected him. If he acts like Obj, the same people would say he is a tyrant.