Amnesty implies a political pardon or forgiveness for a felonious crime against the state. “It is a period of time during which people can admit to a crime or give up weapons without being punished”- (Oxford Advanced Learners Dictionary).
This word amnesty has occupied a greater space of public lexicon as one of such widely applied refrains in the political history of Nigeria. It entails that a person repents before asking for forgiveness. Those that deserve amnesty must of necessity demonstrate remorse and prove bored with further intent for indulgence in such acts occasioning harm on people or warranting their ostracism from the positive adjuncts of the society. The first time this issue of amnesty came up in Nigeria was in 1970 when the Biafran secessionist second in command Col. Philip Ejoor surrendered to Nigeria at the heels of the rebel leader col. Chukwuemeka Odimegwu Ojukwu who fled to Cote D’Ivoire for refuge. The federal government of Nigeria under the able leadership of Gen. (Rtd. Yakubu Gowon declared the war ended in a “no victor, no vanquished” understanding. The people of Biafrar at the declaration of amnesty by the FGN were said to have been reintegrated into the sociopolitical scheme of things in Nigeria, at least theoretically the questionable practicality notwithstanding. But, whether that slogan were practically implement up till date in every ramifications or not remains a burning contentions issue that is not the concern of this article. Secondly, the clamour for amnesty resurfaced in the Nigerian politics during the peak of youths’ restiveness in the Niger- Delta region. Meanwhile, before President Umaru Musa Yar’Adua resorted to amnesty granting, the restive youths in the Niger-Delta agreed to the call for a truce, displayed repentance and demonstrated unalloyed intention to lay down their arms for which the FGN reciprocated in declaration of amnesty for them with a magnanimous package accompanying the understanding established so far.
Recently, the ululation from the North for the FGN’s declaration for amnesty for a vicious Boko Haram Islamic extremist does not consider the concomitant obligation of repentance as the basis for such privileges. For the umpteenth time many influential people from the Northern Nigeria, including biased sympathizers have beckoned the FGN to go into negotiation with the Boko Haram and consider a placating measure of rolling out amnesty package for them just because the Niger-Delta Youths were granted amnesty. No matter the premise of their argument, the bottom line is that the overzealous Islamic extremists killers on the rampage of the entire landscape of the Northern Nigeria did not display any regrets for their misdemeanor instead they persistently unleashed mayhem at random on daily basis. The federal governments tardy approach towards adopting a decisive strategy for a headlong curbing of this ugly incidences of Boko Haram menace is worrisome and unacceptable.
This situation makes the FGN suspicious about that sincerity needed for tackling such a serious problem of a national security threat. On one hand, the international community is not helping matters by playing complacency on a serious socio-political problem from a strategic location of a high sub-regional relevance with great significance on international diplomacy, Nigeria. The take of the USA government on the on-going violent disposition an unassuming Islamic extremists in Northern Nigeria is a disappointing one in that it rather that restrain the hooligans went further to beef up their courage to sustain a nonsensical struggle that poses a serious security threat to the peaceful co-existent of the citizens of Nigeria as one corporate entity.
It is rather unfortunate to observe that the moment the USA admonished the FGN to give an ear to the clamour for amnesty to the Boko Haram, the insurgence gained momentum and assumed hydra- headed dimension. Similarly, for the president and commander in- chief of the Armed Forces of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, His Excellency Goodluck Jonathan to make a sweeping statement that Boko Haram did infiltrate the three tiers of government, the executive, Legislative and Judiciary is blatant admission of failure and insincerity. It is quite deceptive that the FGN Claims of being always on top of the situation whereas the lives and security of property of innocent and unsuspecting citizens are being wasted every day in tolls of thousands. This column perceive as total abuse and insult on the sensibility of the rest of Nigerians almost now overwhelmed by the present intractable dimension of the Boko Haram insurgence nearly about to engulf the whole nation. As it stands today, the peaceful co- existence of the different ethnic groups that constitute this nation is questionable especially now that the BBC interview made open the views of the so call Boko Haram spokesman, Abdul Aruma who divulged that there was no demand ab-initio by them for amnesty and negotiation with FGN. That being the case, and true to it, then the FGN and the rest of the outside world clamouring or talking about negotiation with Boko Haram are goofing and misleading the generality of Nigerians as well as ridiculing themselves. In fact, ranging from the U.S.A., the sultan of Sokoto, Gen. (Rtd.) Yakubu Gowon, Mallam Sanusi Lamido Sanusi to the rest of them who persuade the FGN to either negotiate with or grant amnesty to high caliber terrorists like Boko Haram, ought to have a re-think. Apart from retracting their statements or rescinding their ignoble pursuits, they need to apologize to Nigerians. The course for which the Niger Delta Youths went restive many be justified, but, as trivial as it sounds that the Islamic extremists loath the new world order (i.e. modern democracy) and prefer the Sharia maxim is arrant nonsense.
Truly, such declaration is a challenge not only to Nigerians (Nigerian Government alone) but to the Champions of the new world order themselves (i.e. the Western World, particularly the USA). The implication of such statement is that the Boko Haram aims not only at attempting to inveigle the entire Nigeria into Islamic religion as to enshrine Sharia laws and jettison our sacred constitution but to pursue entirely the selfish goals and objectives of Alkaleda that lead to the September 11th 2001 bombing of the USA’s World trade centre in New York. To this end, there is no need to ask if Boko Haram is a terrorist group rather from their motives, it glaring that they have the same agenda with Osama Bin Ladin and his atrocious Alkaieda group.
It is no gainsaying that the call for the FGA to negotiate with them or grant amnesty for the miscreants is uncalled for, because, their course is quite strange but could be realized not by dialogue except violence. In that case, if the FGN is determined to curtail the nonsense, it takes grit and only a tit for fat can address this problem. The citizens of this country (especially the unsuspecting innocent ones) who often fall prey should take to drastic self defensive mechanism where the FGN capitulates absolutely to winks and caprices of these gangsters monsters. As a matter of fact, the propensity of the entire citizens of Nigeria, especially those that do not share in the same accolades with the Boko Haram sects getting intimidated is less than the chances of them(Boko Haram) being quelled and exterminated or get socio-politically excommunicated from the rest of the nation (Balkanization if that be the case). Obviously, from their demands, they (Boko Haram) want an Islamic State, or nation state with Sharia laws as the known institutional framework for governance. It’s their choice of which they are entitled to. There is nothing too unusual about such vision, except that the approach towards its pursuit is primitive, parochial, barbaric and inclement. Under the aegis of the UNO’s fundamental human rights, association rights and indigenous self determination is permissible and provided for.
The Northern elders and the protagonists of this Boko Haram wickedness should refrain and declare for their sovereignty boldly as the Igbo (South East) did which precluded to the 1967 – 1970 Nigeria Biafran civil war and damn the consequences instead of playing gorilla. That is sheer cowardice. Otherwise, other peaceful avenues can be exploited to achieve the same end of propagating or promoting Islamism
