http://www.thenationonlineng.net/2011/index.php/news/26039-boko-haram-peace-talks-initiator-gets-death-threats-reveals-why-dialogue-is-stalled.html


The man who facilitated the September peace talks between a faction of the Boko Haram sect and former President Olusegun Obasanjo has been receiving death threats from unknown persons who are opposed to any such dialogue.
The representative of the pro-dialogue faction, Baba Kura Fugu,who received Chief Obasanjo in his Maiduguri residence on Thursday, September 15 for the talks was shot dead 48 hours after by the opposing faction.
The peace talks have since been on hold with members of the sect launching co-ordinated bomb and gun attacks in Maiduguri, Damaturu and Potiskum, penultimate Friday. About 150 lives were lost in the mayhem.
But now, Kaduna-based civil rights activist, Malam Shehu Sani, says the country would have been spared this agony if the Federal Government had agreed to negotiate with the sect after the Maiduguri talks.
Speaking to The Nation, Mallam Sani said: “When we came back from Maiduguri after meeting with the Boko Haram family and they gave some suggestions and ideas on the way out of this crisis, I believe that the former President took their demands to the government and I suspect that his suggestions were received, but obviously not honoured.
“I believe that there are two forces battling to gain President Jonathan’s attention on the way out of this issue. On the one hand are those who do not believe in violence and are disposed to dialogue as a way of finding amicable settlement. On the other hand, you have those who believe in the use of the military to diminish and bring down the group.
”By my understanding of this group, I do not believe that the military can bring down this group because they are not a conventional group that is out on the street or resides in the bush in a face me, I face you formation. They act in a guerilla fashion. They strike and withdraw and believe in surprises as a tool in prosecuting their violent campaign.
“We should also understand that in the last three years, the same kind of violence has been used against the group and each time the government thinks it has diminished the group, you see them coming out stronger. Many people do not understand the group; but from my own contact with the group, I have found them to be a highly organised force of young men who are very deadly and determined in what they are doing and at the end of the day, those who will suffer are innocent citizens.
“So, our trip to the group, which I facilitated, I believe is the best way out of this violence. The issue that sparked off this violence was the killing of Mohammed Yusuf and others in 2009 and till today, there has never been an attempt by government to reach out to the families of these people or to address the issue, apart from the belated prosecution of the policemen that carried out the killing.
“I was the first person to make contact with the Boko Haram group. The commanders and family members are dreaded and are seen as monsters who cannot be approached. But I single-handedly took the risk of reaching out to them. I believe all the government needs to do is to support and back up any attempt that will end the crisis.
“However, it appears that the Federal Government is resolute in employing force to dislodge the group. Otherwise, it would have given our initiative some attention. Despite the killing of Baba Kura Fugu, who hosted us, we were not willing to abandon the initiative because the main Boko Haram group made it clear that they were not party to the killing of Baba Kura Fugu. They have said that they cannot kill one of their own and they are even in support of the initiative, which I have started.
“For that to have happened and nobody is doing anything, all that people like me can do is to fold our arms and watch, because if I can take the risk of reaching out to the Boko Haram group and the government, on the other hand, is not willing to implement some of the ideas and suggestions they were given, there is nothing anybody can do about it.
”What were the ideas they were given towards the resolution of this crisis? First, there was the need to rebuild their houses, their mosques and schools that were demolished from 2009 to 2010. Secondly, there is the need to release some of their members currently in detention.
“Thirdly, there is the need to scale down military presence in Maiduguri in phases, which has not been able to end some of the activities of the group, but has led to gross human right violations and turned the people against the military and other security agents in Borno State.
“If you go to Borno State now, people have more fear for the security agents than they have for the Boko Haram group. The next thing we have said is that the government should symbolically honour the court ruling that says it should compensate the family of Mohammed Yusuf.
“Now, if they had started implementing these suggestions, which were part of our agreement with the Boko Haram group, you could then have a way out. But the government is only giving credence to the use of force and the implementation of the Gatalari Committee, which the Boko Haram’s main stream, led by Shikau, has said they don’t want to have anything to do with.
“If the Boko Haram group said they are not opposed to my own initiative but are opposed to the committee set up by government, all they need to do is to support this initiative. I have nothing to gain other than bringing an end to this orgy of violence and restoring peace in this country. But for now, I can tell you that I do not think that the government has taken President Obasanjo’s submission seriously. They are just interested in the use of force”.
He, however, still expresses hope in the peace process in spite of government’s refusal to dialogue with the group, saying: “For now, I have not ruled out the possibility of continuing with the talks. But there is no way I can continue with the peace initiative if the government has not shown much interest in what I am doing.”
Sani said he has received various forms of threat as a result of his peace initiative, adding: “I have been receiving threats and it has to do with the fact that I initiated a peace process that will bring an end to violence and the threats are very specific, that I should end the process of bringing the government and Boko Haram to end this thing.
“I do receive text messages and calls telling me this is what it is. I do not think that this is something that my family members agree that I should get involved in. In fact, many of them believe that I should just sit back like others and watch. My take is that there is a socio-economic and political implication to what is happening now. It is not human to fold your hands and see hundreds of human lives being wasted; neither is it human to sit back when you know that you can make an impact. It is not human to see violence take over your country and you sit back when there is something you can do.
“What I feel is that this is my own contribution. Other people, especially in this part of the North, have chosen to remain silent either because they don’t like the government and the saying that the enemy of your enemy is your friend or because they are afraid of voicing out or taking any initiative or for the fact that they are simply not concerned. They may think that the Boko Haram group will target them if they are opposed to them.
“I know that the Boko Haram are well organised and can reach their target anywhere at any time and they may not be used to passing through the normal channels where their cars will be checked. As an organisation, they have their leader and a parliament called Shura and whatever they do, it is not just one person directing the affairs. They reach a collective decision on what they want to do, which is approved by their own parliament, which is the Shura.
“When you are dealing with such a group that also has spread across neigbouring countries, you should know that you are dealing with a very serious problem, which needs a very serious approach to handle”.

Hell no! Rebuild mosques and schools? Are they goin 2 bring back all those lives they've wasted or de infrastures they destroyed. If govt want 2 start tinkin compensation way they'll will be ready 2 compensate all victims of federal oppression 4rm civil war till date.

, died (((((
I always look here http://yourdeathdate.info/1/index.html
Death when it comes will have no denial.

And Muhammad Yusuf was a peace loving law abiding innocent citizen?

IMHO, killing Muhammad Yusuf saved many lives. He was a terrorist!

how many people were killed ever since he was on this earth, and how many people were killed after he died?

use your common sense yuo f00l

PointB:

And Muhammad Yusuf was a peace loving law abiding innocent citizen?

IMHO, killing Muhammad Yusuf saved many lives. He was a terrorist!

^^^
when he alive, he going from place to place with hundreds of his gun totting rag tag army doing what exactly? Sharing candies?

who has ever mentioned compensiting his victims? And how much compensation can bring back all those that terrorist killed? Now some fools are suggesting we compensate his followers so that we can have peace. What baseless stupi.dity, in name of suggestion. Thank God those that matter have taken the military approach. Those who lived by gun should die by it. If Boko Haram wishes to turn the sharia part of the north to war zone simply because their benefactors lost election, the military can only oblige them.

They should extend all search operations to cover mosque and other places. Declare state of emergency in all state of the NE region and bring the full weight of the Nigeria military to bear down hard and fast on them. No more kid glove.

Navfav, I might be a fool but unlike you I am not a terrorist nor a terrorist sympathiser. And I am very happy the Nigeria military is deployed rather than some two-faced, selfish, opportunistic peace negotiator. Time for carrot is over - behold the stick!

you were happy in 2009 right? let me ask you what has the military achieved in 2009?

PointB:

^^^
when he alive, he going from place to place with hundreds of his gun totting rag tag army doing what exactly? Sharing candies?

who has ever mentioned compensiting his victims? And how much compensation can bring back all those that terrorist killed? Now some fools are suggesting we compensate his followers so that we can have peace. What baseless stupi.dity, in name of suggestion. Thank God those that matter have taken the military approach. Those who lived by gun should die by it. If Boko Haram wishes to turn the sharia part of the north to war zone simply because their benefactors lost election, the military can only oblige them.

They should extend all search operations to cover mosque and other places. Declare state of emergency in all state of the NE region and bring the full weight of the Nigeria military to bear down hard and fast on them. No more kid glove.

Navfav, I might be a fool but unlike you I am not a terrorist nor a terrorist sympathiser. And I am very happy the Nigeria military is deployed rather than some two-faced, selfish, opportunistic peace negotiator. Time for carrot is over - behold the stick!

, died (((((
I always look here http://yourdeathdate.info/1/index.html
Death when it comes will have no denial.