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The National Security Adviser, Col. Sambo Dasuki (rtd), yesterday continued his shuttle of trouble spots by meeting with elders in Borno State.

It was learnt that Dasuki has opted for dialogue instead of carrying the battle to the doorstep of Boko Haram.

Investigation revealed that the NSA had closed door session with Borno elders, including a former Minister of Communications, Gen. Mohammed Shuwa; ex-Military Governor of the North-East, Brig-Gen. Abba Kyari; Emeritus Professor of Medicine, Umaru Shehu; Ambassador Usman Galtimari (who recently headed a presidential committee on the crisis in the North-East) and a former President of the Nigeria Labour Congress(NLC), Comrade Ali Ciroma.

A reliable source, who spoke in confidence, said: "The NSA is trying to change his tactics. He is exploring dialogue with all leaders in the troubled spots. He said instead of taking the battle to the doorstep of Boko Haram, it is better to facilitate dialogue.

"He is engaging all these leaders in order to mobilise them to play key roles in prevailing on the sponsors of Boko Haram to sheathe their swords. The truth is that some of the sponsors are known to the locals.

"And Northern leaders are working covertly to assist him to restore peace to all the affected states in the North."

Asked if the government will concede anything to Boko Haram leaders, the source said: "We have not got to that level because the NSA is reaching out to the elders to facilitate dialogue on terms acceptable to all."

But the NSA said yesterday that he has not fixed any timeline to put an end to the Boko Haram insurgency.

He said he did not make any January 20 commitment to resolve the violence in the North.

A statement issued on Friday by the Special Assistant to the NSA on Media, Karounwi Adekunle, said: "The NSA has denied reports quoting him as putting a timeline to the end of Boko Haram Islamist sect hostility in parts of the country.

"The NSA, who is on tour of some states where Boko Haram hostility has been rampant to meet stakeholders in such areas, was quoted in some media reports to have said that an end will come to Boko Haram hostility before the commencement of Ramadan Fast.

"The NSA never at any forum in Potiskum, Damaturu, both Yobe State on Thursday or today in Maiduguri, Borno State said he will bring an end to the sect's hostility before the start of Ramadan fast.

"His cogent message in all the meetings he's held so far with some stakeholders is the need for leaders to reach out and prevail on Boko Haram members to cease fire so as to create room for dialogue.

"This clarification has become necessary to avoid further spread of this misinformation and unnecessary insinuations."

PEOPLE living at Oke-Ado area of Ibadan, Oyo State, as well as shop owners and automobile dealers along Molete road in the town, on Thursday, watched a drama involving a pastor and a mad man.

The pastor, whose name is Timothy, according to an eyewitness, got to Ososami junctions of Oke-Ado around 5.20 p.m and went to meet the mentally-deranged man, popularly known as Tunde, who was sitting in front of a building in the area.

According to Semiu, a shop owner around the spot of the incident, the pastor began to read the Bible on sighting the mad man, while he moved closer to him and laid the hand on his head.

"At a point, there was a hot argument between the duo, which made the pastor to raise his voice as he was offering a deliverance prayer for Tunde, the mad man. The hot prayer lasted for over 15 minutes before another strange drama began," Semiu told the Nigerian Tribune.

Speaking further, another witness, an okada rider, said at a point, the mad man removed the pastor's hand from his head, adding that "suddenly, a strange spirit got hold of the pastor and he began to remove his cloth. He was naked and laid flat on the ground, speaking a strange language, with foam oozing out of his mouth."

The mad man, it was gathered, initially left him in this position and sat at some distance away from the pastor, before the duo later sat closer to each other, while onlookers watched the strange drama.

The pastor remained in state of insanity until the Nigerian Tribune left the scene of the incident.

noblezone: This has been going on for years, but they were never made known.

The fact that we are hearing them like this now, shows somebody is trying to his job.

Kudos to those who arrested the thieves, before now, the law enforcement agents will collect their own and let the ship pass.

Things are changing, there is a ray of hope: but we need to sit down restructure Nigeria. The sooner the better.