ABUJA—Former President, Chief
Olusegun Obasanjo has launched a move to free the more than 200 girls kidnapped
by the Boko Haram sect from Government Girls Secondary School, Chibok, Borno
State.
Obasanjo, who confirmed this to Vanguard
last night, however, dismissed reports credited to a foreign news agency that
he held talks with representatives of the sect in his Ota farm last weekend.
He nevertheless confirmed that he
was set to open explorative talks with the Islamic sect, having re-established
contacts with a lawyer who mediated his discussion with the sect three years
ago. Chief Obasanjo, however, regretted that efforts he made to end the
insurgency at that time came to nought after President Goodluck Jonathan
dismissed the conditions and capacities of the group.
Obasanjo, who has been globally
acclaimed for his role in peace mediation especially among troubled African
countries also played down claims that the insurgency would not have reared its
head were he in power.
The foreign news agency had
reported, yesterday, that Obasanjo held talks with representatives of the
insurgents in his farm at Ota, Ogun State last weekend.
Asked to confirm the veracity of the
report yesterday, the former president said: “Three years ago I tried to reach
out to Boko Haram to find out what their problem was and if there was a leader
one could talk to.
“I got a lawyer who provided the
link between members of the group and I. They told me what the government
should do to stop insurgency.”
He said that he subsequently passed
on the conditions set by the insurgents to Governor Shettima who pledged his
willingness to do all and more of what the insurgents required.
“He told me he was willing to do all
that was stipulated and even more, but that his fear was that once he
implemented those conditions he would be accused by the president and his
people of being a member of Boko Haram,” Obasanjo quoted the governor to have
said after the initial talks three years ago.
The former president, however, did
not disclose the conditions laid down by the insurgents.
The former president said that
following his discussions with the governor of Borno State that he followed up
by briefing President Jonathan who he claimed, played down the capacities and
conditions laid down by the insurgents.
He said that at that point he
withdrew as he lacked the executive powers to proceed further.
Obasanjo said that given the present
situation, the need to resurrect talks with the group had become expedient.
“In this instance, there are now two
issues involved, the insurgency and the kidnap of the girls and I want to find
out if the same lawyer would still mediate,” the former president said.
He said that having confirmed that
the lawyer is alive, he had now set machinery in motion to reach out to the
group towards releasing the kidnapped Chibok girls and thereafter ending the
insurgency.
Asked if the insurgency would have
risen to the present stage were in power, Obasanjo said: “My friend go away, go
away, go away.”
Obasanjo’s secret talks is besides a
secret effort by the administration to engage the Boko Haram group through
three individuals reported to be close to the group.
A national newspaper, yesterday,
quoted presidency sources as disclosing the enlistment of a former journalist
Ahmad Salkida; a Tiv, Benue State born former adherent of the insurgent group,
Aliyu Teshaku and an Australian negotiator Steve Davies to negotiate on behalf
of the Federal Government.
The government’s decision to
negotiate for the release of the kidnapped girls is reportedly informed by
fears of a possible harm to the abductees in the event of a full scale military
onslaught to effect their release.
A www.vangured.com extract
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