Nigerian Islamist sect rejects amnesty offer

MAIDUGURI, Nigeria (Reuters) - A radical Islamist sect in remote northeastern Nigeria, blamed for almost daily killings and attacks, on Monday rejected an offer of an amnesty.
Kashim Shettima, governor-elect of Borno state, made the amnesty offer to the Boko Haram sect shortly after winning April elections to try to end months of attacks on symbols of authority including politicians and police officers.
"We reject any offer of dialogue or so-called amnesty from Kashim Shettima for two reasons," a spokesman for the group said in a statement broadcast on the BBC Hausa service, a local language radio station in northern Nigeria.
"First we do not believe in the Nigerian constitution and secondly we do not believe in democracy but only in the laws of Allah," the spokesman said, speaking in Hausa.
Boko Haram, whose name means "Western education is sinful," wants sharia (Islamic law) to be more widely applied across Nigeria but its views are not widely espoused by the country's Muslim population, the largest in sub-Saharan Africa.
Sect members launched an uprising in 2009, attacking government buildings and triggering days of gun battles with the security forces in which up to 800 people were killed.
Its attacks became increasingly political in the run-up to last month's presidential, parliamentary and state governorship elections but there has been no let-up in the violence since then.
Three prison warders and a housewife were shot dead in two separate incidents in the state capital Maiduguri last week and a policeman was seriously injured in another shooting

http://af.reuters.com/article/worldNews/idAFTRE74868O20110509

The issues surrounding the north is beyond Amnesty, while Amnesty is a good idea, it should not be the end to solving the problems of the north otherwise it becomes a mere waste of funds in the long run

Bintus2much:

The issues surrounding the north is beyond Amnesty, while Amnesty is a good idea, it should not be the end to solving the problems of the north otherwise it becomes a mere waste of funds in the long run

Thank you o.

Amnesty to brothers?? Waste of time and everything.

Any group that can hold a state or country into ransom means that state or country is a failed state. Can you imagine a Spartan group of individuals killing people at random in America or Britain and the culprits have not been caught?

We in Nigeria should change our security approach; we need to have a very strong under-cover intelligence gathering service independent of the Army, Navy , Air force and even police. They should be able to go into any of the services and investigate. For instance someone bombed Abuja, the culprits are still at large, we need a hands-on intelligence gathering operatives that would nip any trouble in the bud b4 it becomes a currency.

Strong Intelligence force


Their job is to go into trouble spots blend in, discover and monitor all the activities of various nefarious groups and their sponsors and report back to base. Operatives may pose as road side cigarette sellers, suya seller, an imam  or even  okada rider, no country in the world can win war against terrorist without a robust intelligence service.

Bin Ladin was taken down after the Americans had observed him for 8 months in Pakistan we need a superb intelligence service.

Boko haram has declared war against Nigeria without room for negotiation. They are terrorists agitating for a foreign interest therefore, they should not be tolerated. FG should descend on them heavily with all the military power available.

Boko Haram does not represent Islam in any way, shape or form. Muslims used ot dominate the field of science and all facets of what is now known as 'Western education', or 'Boko', and in many middle eastern countries today, 'Boko' is of extreme importance. In Middle Eastern countries like Jordan, whose royal family claims descent from the Prophet Mohammad (PBUH), large sums of money are spent on enducation and on reforms aimed at further democratizing Jordan.

Boko Haram is a completely nonsensical group whose members deserve no amnesty whatsoever.

The true face of Islam is:

Islamisation by force!

The Boko Haran guys are reperesenting the true face of Islam. those saying Islam is a religion of peace are playing dirty politics. Let us go back a little bit, please how did Islam spread in Nigeria?

Now is the time to negotiate Nigeria.

We need to treat them as the terrorists they are. Military + Intelligence; everything should be used against them since they are not ready for diplomacy.

reaping the whirlwind

we are collectively fked

is it the same SSS that was paying ransoms , and hampered by rain that you think will sort out boko haram?

even worse, gej's absolution of mend during the october 1 bombings will come back to haunt him

yardua, for all his faults acted brutally and decisively against his own region during BH's first coming . gej invited thugs from his region for tea and a photo op. whatever action he takes will be viewed through a tribal lens.

This amnesty of a thing is about being abused in the north. So, any amorphous that takes up arm agains their fellow human being without any course, should be cajoled with amnesty? In that case all the criminals in all the nooks and crannies of this country should be granted amnesty and all the security agencies and law making agencies be scrapped, cos they are otiose

This amnesty of a thing is about being abused in the north. So, any amorphous that takes up arm agains their fellow human being without any course, should be cajoled with amnesty? In that case all the criminals in all the nooks and crannies of this country should be granted amnesty and all the security agencies and law making agencies be scrapped, cos they are otiose