The Presidential Committee on Dialogue and Peaceful Resolution of Security Challenges in the North, yesterday, met with members of the Boko Haram sect, including the alleged mastermind of the Christmas day bombing in Madalla, Niger State, Kabiru Sokoto.

The meeting took place at the Kuje Minimum
Security Prison, Abuja where many members of
the sect are being held. Chairman of the committee and Minister for Special Duties, Mr Kabiru Tanimu Turaki, who led the 25 members of the committee to the meeting at Kuje, a satellite town in Abuja, told newsmen that the meeting was a confidence building measure between the committee and members of the sect.

The meeting which was held in camera had
been preceded by the committee’s meeting
with different security agencies, including the
Department of State Security, Nigeria Police
Force, as well as the office of the National
Security Adviser.

In an interview with newsmen, the committee chairman said members of the committee had useful discussion with the detained members of the Boko Haram sect, promising that it will carry out its duties with all honesty and diligence.

The committee chairman said: “We have had cause in the past to speak to members of
Jamatul Alhus Sunnah and in doing so, we told
them that members of this committee are people of proven integrity, accomplished
Nigerians that have been carefully selected by Mr. President to come and do this national
assignment. “We have had very useful discussions with some inmates that are being held here on the allegations of being either members of Jamatul Alhus Sunnah on accounts of terrorism or acts related to it. We want to assure Nigerians that this committee is poised to carry out this assignment with all sense of responsibility, honesty and with diligence”. He emphasized that the committee’s brief was
not to secure or grant amnesty to members of
the sect but to encourage dialogue and attain
cease fire and peace in the country.

“We do not have any grudges against anybody. We do not harbour any ill feeling or prejudices against anybody. We have pledged
that in carrying out this assignment, we will do
it with the fear of God, high sense of patriotism
and nationalism. We shall be guided by sense
of decency and the feeling of trying to ensure
that at the end of the day there is peace in Nigeria. “We are still looking for ways of having dialogue; constructive, honest and frank dialogue with major stakeholders across
board. And so we will continue to solicit the
support and cooperation of not only the
people that are considered to be directly or indirectly involved in these issues but other
Nigerians”. He appealed to members of the press that in carrying out their reports on the activities of the committee, it should be done with all sense of patriotism. This committee will urge you to avoid reporting issues in a very inflammatory manner. He said: “We seek your support and if for whatever reason any information comes your way or stumble on news item that has the potential of raising a lot of provocation, please if you need to refer to us please don’t hesitate.

We will clear any doubt, ambiguities as much as we can”. “I call upon you to assist the committee in dousing pressure, and create a fertile and conducive environment for parties that are involved in this impasse to have more
confidence in each other so that by the time we begin to sit and have dialogue with them, all prejudices would have been removed from
their minds”, he said.

Many of the alleged members of the sect that
met with the Amnesty committee were young
men between the ages of 20 and 30, and they
appear to have been using the opportunity of
their incarceration to get some form of
education as they were seen with notebooks, textbooks and pens..

Many of the alleged members of the sect that
met with the Amnesty committee were young
men between the ages of 20 and 30, and they
appear to have been using the opportunity of
their incarceration to get some form of
education as they were seen with notebooks, textbooks and pens..

no one is askin them to read o. because wen they leave prison now they will say there is no job after school and like our other brothers, start kidnappin and oil bunkery biznez. All blame na ontop school!

SLIDE waxie: no one is askin them to read o. because wen they leave prison now they will say there is no job after school and like our other brothers, start kidnappin and oil bunkery biznez. All blame na ontop school!

True talk my broda