John Ameh and Leke Baiyewu
Members of the House of Representatives are in disagreement over the plan to grant amnesty to the outlawed Boko Haram insurgents.
However, they admit that it is an Executive function that does not require the inputs of the National Assembly for now, except where budgetary allocations are involved.
The Chairman, House Committee on Interior, Mr. Adams Jagaba, condemned the idea outright.
He also refused to compare Boko Haram insurgency with militancy in the Niger Delta area, saying that the two had different intentions and meanings.
Jagaba, a member of the All Progressives Congress from Kaduna State, argued that amnesty would cost the country more pain than solutions.
He noted that the Federal Government would simply be rewarding terrorism by allowing mass murderers to walk away without punishment.
Jagaba added that in the long run, it would encourage criminality because people would know that they could get away with it.
He said, “These are terrorists killing Christians and Muslims, particularly, Christians in large numbers.
“It is unlike the Niger Delta agitation, which was about resource control. Boko Haram is simply about terrorism. If we grant them amnesty, it is an invitation to anarchy.
“It means that it is lucrative to be a terrorist and many Nigerians will like to try it, knowing that at the end of the day, they will get a pat on the back.
“Anyhow, this is an Executive matter, if at all it is true. Let me say I don’t believe that this government wants to grant amnesty to Boko Haram. If it is true, then it is most unfortunate. If it comes to the National Assembly, we will debate it and condemn it.”
But, the Chief Whip of the House and Leader of the majority North-West Caucus, Mr. Al-Hassan Dogowa, held a different opinion.
Ado-Doguwa applauded the government’s intention, saying that because of the delicate nature of the insurgency, a ‘carrot’ approach was the best option.
He said, “Yes, in my opinion, an ‘all stick approach’ will not help us out of this crisis. It is quite strategic if the government can adopt the ‘carrot’ approach as well.”
But, a member of the Peoples Democratic Party from Kogi State, Mr. Tajudeen Yusuf, described any proposal for amnesty as political and the government as being desperate to win the 2019 polls at all costs.
He said, “It is absurd. It shows how desperate the government is, just because it wants to win an election.”
His fellow Kogi lawmaker, Mr. Karimi Sunday, held a slightly neutral view.
Sunday said he suspected that the government had been having a series of negotiations with the Boko Haram insurgents.
He cited the speedy release of the Dapchi schoolgirls as a signal that some negotiations had been going on, saying it was possible that amnesty was one of the demands of the insurgents, leading to the release of the girls.
“Whichever steps we take, we have to be very careful to guarantee the security of the lives and property of Nigerians,” he said.
However, a member from Kano State, Mr. Aliyu Madaki, supported amnesty for Boko Haram, saying, “If it will bring peace to our land, I support it.”
But most members of the Senate, who expressed their opinions, as the matter had not been raised on the floor of the chamber for a resolution, criticised the proposed amnesty for Boko Haram insurgents.
The criticisms came across party lines and geopolitical zones.
Speaking to one of our correspondents on Friday, Senator Mao Ohuabunwa (PDP, Abia North) said it could worsen the insurgency. He said, “We have to be very careful. We don’t have to, by force or other means, begin to legalise criminality. We are legalising criminality by granting amnesty and allowing negotiations.
“For example, kidnapping became commercialised when people (victims) began to pay the ransom. That is what I’m seeing now happening.
“When people know that if they commit an offence they would be pardoned or called for negotiation, then it will become a business and like institutionalising criminality.”
In his submission, Senator Adesoji Akanbi (APC, Oyo South) stated that the plan might fail as Boko Haram was now believed to have factions.
Akanbi said, “I don’t sincerely think so (that amnesty will solve the problem). Within the Boko Haram group, there is division. So, which faction are they granting amnesty? Is it the real (strong) side or the weak side? If some insurgents gather themselves and claim that they are repentant and come forward to get amnesty and it is granted to them, and they are the weaker side, then we are just going to waste our resources. So, we need to know which of the groups is stronger.”
Also, Senator Ben Murray-Bruce (Bayelsa East) stated that the President could grant amnesty to criminals but not killers.
He said, “You can grant amnesty for any crime except murder; you cannot grant amnesty to someone who takes someone else’s life. Let us forget about Boko Haram: anybody who commits murder doesn’t get amnesty.”
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