Boko Haram Not Driven by Hunger, Sometimes Better Armed Than Nigerian Army — Ex-President Goodluck reveals they once nominated Buhari as negotiator.
Former President Goodluck Jonathan has said that Boko Haram insurgents are not motivated by poverty, stressing that they often wield more sophisticated weapons than the Nigerian Army.
Jonathan spoke on Friday at the launch of “Scars: Nigeria’s Journey & the Boko Haram Conundrum”, a book authored by former Chief of Defence Staff, General Lucky Irabor (rtd).
Recalling past efforts to end the insurgency, Jonathan revealed that during his presidency a committee set up to negotiate with the group was surprised when Boko Haram nominated Muhammadu Buhari to represent them in talks.
“So I was feeling that, oh, if they nominated Buhari to represent them & have a discussion with the government committee, then when Buhari took over, it could have been an easy way to negotiate with them & they would have handed over their guns. But it was still there till today,” he said
He noted that the insurgency began in 2009 when he served as Vice-President under the late Umaru Musa Yar’Adua. “Even when I took over power in 2010 as president, I battled with it until I left office in 2015. I thought immediately I left, within a reasonable time, late President Muhammadu Buhari was going to wipe them out, but till today, Boko Haram is still here. So the issue of Boko Haram becomes more complex,” he added.
Jonathan urged the current administration to adopt a carrot-and-stick approach, stressing that the sophistication of the sect’s weapons points to external support.
“Issue of carrots and the stick may be adopted, and yes, probably the needs are there, but if you look at the weapons they use, and you value the weapons, then you know that these are not hungry people. Sometimes the soldiers capture some of the weapons and see they are even better. The weapons they use, the ammunition they use, sometimes they even have more ammunition than our soldiers,” he said.
Former President Goodluck Jonathan has said that Boko Haram insurgents are not motivated by poverty, stressing that they often wield more sophisticated weapons than the Nigerian Army.
Jonathan spoke on Friday at the launch of “Scars: Nigeria’s Journey & the Boko Haram Conundrum”, a book authored by former Chief of Defence Staff, General Lucky Irabor (rtd).
Recalling past efforts to end the insurgency, Jonathan revealed that during his presidency a committee set up to negotiate with the group was surprised when Boko Haram nominated Muhammadu Buhari to represent them in talks.
“So I was feeling that, oh, if they nominated Buhari to represent them & have a discussion with the government committee, then when Buhari took over, it could have been an easy way to negotiate with them & they would have handed over their guns. But it was still there till today,” he said
He noted that the insurgency began in 2009 when he served as Vice-President under the late Umaru Musa Yar’Adua. “Even when I took over power in 2010 as president, I battled with it until I left office in 2015. I thought immediately I left, within a reasonable time, late President Muhammadu Buhari was going to wipe them out, but till today, Boko Haram is still here. So the issue of Boko Haram becomes more complex,” he added.
Jonathan urged the current administration to adopt a carrot-and-stick approach, stressing that the sophistication of the sect’s weapons points to external support.
“Issue of carrots and the stick may be adopted, and yes, probably the needs are there, but if you look at the weapons they use, and you value the weapons, then you know that these are not hungry people. Sometimes the soldiers capture some of the weapons and see they are even better. The weapons they use, the ammunition they use, sometimes they even have more ammunition than our soldiers,” he said.
Boko Haram Not Driven by Hunger, Sometimes Better Armed Than Nigerian Army — Ex-President Goodluck reveals they once nominated Buhari as negotiator.
Former President Goodluck Jonathan has said that Boko Haram insurgents are not motivated by poverty, stressing that they often wield more sophisticated weapons than the Nigerian Army.
Jonathan spoke on Friday at the launch of “Scars: Nigeria’s Journey & the Boko Haram Conundrum”, a book authored by former Chief of Defence Staff, General Lucky Irabor (rtd).
Recalling past efforts to end the insurgency, Jonathan revealed that during his presidency a committee set up to negotiate with the group was surprised when Boko Haram nominated Muhammadu Buhari to represent them in talks.
“So I was feeling that, oh, if they nominated Buhari to represent them & have a discussion with the government committee, then when Buhari took over, it could have been an easy way to negotiate with them & they would have handed over their guns. But it was still there till today,” he said
He noted that the insurgency began in 2009 when he served as Vice-President under the late Umaru Musa Yar’Adua. “Even when I took over power in 2010 as president, I battled with it until I left office in 2015. I thought immediately I left, within a reasonable time, late President Muhammadu Buhari was going to wipe them out, but till today, Boko Haram is still here. So the issue of Boko Haram becomes more complex,” he added.
Jonathan urged the current administration to adopt a carrot-and-stick approach, stressing that the sophistication of the sect’s weapons points to external support.
“Issue of carrots and the stick may be adopted, and yes, probably the needs are there, but if you look at the weapons they use, and you value the weapons, then you know that these are not hungry people. Sometimes the soldiers capture some of the weapons and see they are even better. The weapons they use, the ammunition they use, sometimes they even have more ammunition than our soldiers,” he said.
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