₦airaland Forum

NEGOTIATING WITH TERRORISTS AND BANDITS

Sometime in the early days of his first term in office, President Muhammadu Buhari indicated that if Boko Haram insurgents were disposed to dialogue, he was not averse to it. He said anything that could end wanton killings in the country was welcome, including dialogue. But he added that if force of arms was what the criminals opted for, the government would not shy away from it.
I remember the hoopla caused in certain quarters by the position of the President. How could he ever consider negotiating with killers, terrorists, bandits? Was he not about to negotiate the sovereignty of the country away? How can a retired General be talking of dialogue and negotiations, when he should give the hoodlums bloody noses all the way? The sense of chagrin was great, though many of the critics had never fired a catapult before, not to talk of handling a gun, or any other assault weapon.
In defending the position of the President then, I remember making a reference to the United States, which had begun to dialogue with the Talibans in Afghanistan, after many years of strife. My position was that most of the major conflicts in history often ended at the negotiations table. The bitter enders called me names, but I kept my peace. In recent days, the rapprochement between the U.S and the Talibans is almost reaching a head, after 18 years of war. Why not?
To end every strife, there are often two positions. You either beat the enemy to pulp, pulverize and blow him away. Or you negotiate. The first was what eventually happened to the Tamil Tigers in Sri Lanka, after almost three decades of terror, in which mindless carnage was visited on the country. They got obliterated by force of arms, when their leader was clinically taken out.
The other option is to negotiate, sitting round a table, and jaw-jawing, instead of war-warring. Like it is said, it is often better to jaw-jaw, than to war-war.
Does negotiation mean capitulation? Does it mean weakness? Not necessarily so. You can always negotiate from a position of strength, and not on bended knees. All you just want is for the guns to stop booming, for the blood to stop flowing, and for hell, which has enlarged itself, to close up.
All options are legitimate in wars and civil strifes. The governors of Katsina and Zamfara States at a point opened discussions with bandits terrorizing their people. Some people screamed in mortification, saying they were submitting the sovereignty of their states to the bandits. Not so. The negotiations brought relative calm, but the bandits that remained recalcitrant were despatched to their maker. The stubborn fly follows the corpse into the grave.
That brings me to the Governor Nasir El-Rufai policy in Kaduna State, which he enunciated publicly earlier this week.
After bandits had attacked Kerewa, Ungwan Musa, and Zariyawa villages, killing over 50 people and burning homes, the Governor visited, apologized to the people for government’s inability to protect them, and declared that there would never be negotiations with bandits.
“ It is our duty to wipe them out, and until we send them to their maker, the security agencies are taking the war to the forests, and we are eliminating them,” the governor said.
Good one! It is an option, and a legitimate one. Stamp out vermin. Get rid of indecency, eliminate it, so that decent people can serve their God, and live in peace. But you must make a short work of it. Do it decisively, and clear jagajaga for road, as Fela Anikulapo-Kuti would say. All is fair in love and war.But no dulling, as we say in local parlance.
Sure, there are many ways to kill a snake. Barack Obama took power in America at a time terrorists were holding sway round the world. America herself had been badly hit on September 11, 1991, with about three thousand people killed in one day. In his post-inauguration speech, Obama appealed to the terrorists to have a change of heart, rejoin decent humanity, “otherwise we will hunt you down, and eliminate you.” He made good the threat when Navy Seals decisively took out Osama Bin-Laden many months later. But first, he offered negotiation.
Nigeria has had troubled and troublous times in perhaps the last ten years or more. Thousands of souls have been sent to premature eternity by terrorists, bandits, criminals in different shades and shapes. Our military has been up and doing. They have shown strength, made conquests, but have also suffered some reverses. The war continues. One day it will end. As the day inexorably follows the night, it will surely end. But no option should be ruled out. All the cards must be kept on the table. The El-Rufai option is legitimate. The Masari and Matawalle formula are not also uncalled for. All we want is for the guns to stop booming. The non-Nigerians, killers armed with sophisticated weapons, swarming across the Sahel region and causing sorrow, tears and blood in Mauritania, Burkina Faso, Niger, Mali, Chad, Cameroon, Nigeria, and other areas, would have to be eliminated. They have no other lifestyle, except evil. To shoot and kill, that’s the only thing they know. He that lives by the sword must die by the sword.
The ones that still have their faculties intact, and are redeemable and reformable, and are ready to embrace dialogue and peace, should be given the option. All we want is peace, amity. If it takes force to get peace, let it be. If it takes dialogue and negotiation, let it also be. You can stamp on a snake. You can cut off its head. You can club it to death. All that matters is for the reptile to die.
Lest we forget. The young Muhammadu Buhari fought the war of peace, as a young military officer, to keep Nigeria together. Many years later, as a General Officer Commanding, when Chad launched an incursion into Nigeria, killing our troops, he took the battle to them. He was already deep into Chadian territory, giving them bloody noses, before the then President Shehu Shagari called him back. He did it before. He can do it again. By force or by negotiation, Nigeria will have peace.
.Adesina is Special Adviser to President Buhari on Media and Publicity

More...https://www.femiadesina.com/negotiating-with-terrorists-and-bandits/

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Frankitibobo:
America negotiates with terrorists outside the American soil, unlike the case in Nigeria where the terrorists are among us

America don't negotiate with Terrorists!

What is he even talking about On one hand he's calling for negotiation, on the other hand he's hailing El rufai..

How can you be comparing America /Taliban with Nigeria /boko haram, the US is a state fighting an entity in another state 1000s of miles away, of course at a point they must negotiate for peace to save face. Taliban is their own country, millions of their children keep growing resent for the US occupation of their country and will continue to progress the so called Jihad war against the infidel but here we have a terrorist group right on our door steps, creating havoc within our nation..


I believe in peace but with boko haram, there should be no negotiation, for crying out loud how do you seat on a table to negotiate with boko haram? This will create even more havoc in the future, millions of the homeless kids roaming in the North will have a good reason to start this havoc again, please Buhari and Co negotiate with these homeless kids and find a future for them forget boko haram, only one option for them is to drop their weapon and surrender.

I kinda understand the so called negotiation will be another avenue of looting, same corruption that happened during amnesty of niger delta, well its still same Nigeria where leaders think with their hand and not their head...



As for you Femi, I pity you after this regime......

Femi Adesina just acknowledged Buhari's weaknesses.

The President told Nigeria community in London in January 2015, "I will end bokoharam insurgent in 3 months and lead from the front" .

Less than 5 years down the line, insurgencies has not only come to stay but already part of our social lives.

Good

Those that are condemning negotiation are doing so because they are not within the reach of boko haram.
If boko haram have been killing your relatives for ten years and even you are not safe from their terror, you would welcome any method to end the crisis!!!

Negotiation is an easy means to solve the war.

But....

Sirjamo:
Those that are condemning negotiation are doing so because they are not within the reach of boko haram.
If boko haram have been killing your relatives for ten years and even you are not safe from their terror, you would welcome any method to end the crisis!!!

You this fulani guy !

Femi Femi Femi how many time did I call you?

This ur ass kicking job will cause serious problem for you after this regime

Femi Femi Femi how many time did I call you?

This ur ass kicking job will cause serious problem for you after this regime z

Sirjamo:
Those that are condemning negotiation are doing so because they are not within the reach of boko haram.
If boko haram have been killing your relatives for ten years and even you are not safe from their terror, you would welcome any method to end the crisis!!!

Bokoharam would have been a thing of the past if Buhari had agreed to be their spokesperson during Jonathan's regime.

Just imagine another shitcrap from Femi Adeshina. Does this overnight political prisoner knows that the govt he is serving have shamelessly lied about defeating thos same BH? So why're granting them amnesty? I pray your family member is not killed & govt give the killer amnesty for you to feel the pain.Fool!

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helinues:
Negotiation is an easy means to solve the war.But....

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