BOKO HARAM: Why we fell for ‘ceasefire’ deal – Govt. officialBy Olawale Kadir on November 4, 2014 @ 9:46 am@todayngr



A few weeks ago, the Nigerian government announced that it had reached a ceasefire agreement with the Boko Haram sect.

But few days after announcing the deal, the sect continued to carry out is attacks, and just last Friday, the leader of the terror group, Abubakar Shekau, in a video dismissed the ceasefire and declared that the abducted Chibok girls have all been converted to Islam and married off. The military has said it is studying the video.

While some government officials are still insisting the deal is genuine and talks are still ongoing, from all indications, it appears the deal was a huge scam.

A government official who pleaded not to be mentioned because he is not authorised to talk to the press has revealed some details into why the FG fell for the ‘phantom ceasefire.’

He said, “You know the government said it would explore all venues (including negotiation) to bring the insurgency to an end and ensure the return of the abducted Chibok school girls.

“The genesis of the negotiation in Chad was that Boko Haram wrote two letters to Chadian President Idris Derby for ceasefire negotiation. On the basis of the offer, President Goodluck Jonathan went to Chad. That was the only reason he went.

“We were interested in the peace offer; we could not second guess whether it would work or not because this is the first time a foreign Head of State will be involved in such.

“We did not subject the ceasefire offer to scrutiny because of the involvement of President Derby. The Chadian President spoke with the Nigerian Government, he also spoke with the United States which also sought some clarifications from its Embassy in Nigeria.

“If the ceasefire negotiation process was not credible, the Americans would have told us that it was not so.

“You will recall that at a point, President Barack Obama asked both sides to respect the ceasefire. What was on everybody’s mind was to secure the release of the Chibok girls.”

The source added: “The mistake we made was to announce the ceasefire before we completed the process. But with a foreign President and other nations involved, it was difficult to fault it. If we had rejected the ceasefire offer from Chad, the same powers will say we were not interested in the release of the Chibok girls.

“The ceasefire appears bogus but we are not losing hope. There are issues around Ahmadu Danladi coordinating the ceasefire in Chad.

“First, there was no communication intercept between him and the sect leaders. Secondly, he referred to them as Boko Haram instead of Jama’atul Ahlul Sunnah Lida’awati Wal Jahad; and thirdly he called Shekau by name instead of referring to him as Imam. He probably did not have any serious link with the sect.”

On the present status of the ceasefire, he said “Supposedly ongoing with Chadian officials.”

wow!!! Nigeria lacks intelligence

I knew from d start dat it was a scam!
Am no prophet but I could see lies on the deal.
Our president does not know the extent muslim north could go to get power including Taqqiya.
The fulanis power hangers are really not nigerians per se. Chad is one of their parent countries. They know this fact and record. So if chadian president fooled GEJ before the international community and made him look helpless, its fine for his fellow fulanis all over west n central africa.
Let's not blame GEJ. He is naïve. APC really wanna burn down nigeria to grab power buh God is also set to disgrace them.

Imagine! Negotiating with terrorists?!

I am happy the government tried the ceasefire, even though most knew it was bogus. Boko haram just needed space to regroup. Boko haram is a political battle more than a military confrontation. The same people crying today in the NE, will be first to castigate the government, if they had walked away from the ceasefire. Now the fighting continues, no matter the last couple of days noise, Nigeria will kill more boko haram fighters than we ever did before. Nobody will be calling for talks anymore.

At a huge cost sha. They shouldn't have let down their guards, even if the talks succeeded. Now Boko is more armed... and 'motivated'...