Former military dictator, Major General Muhammadu Buhari (rtd) has commended the proposed plan to consider an amnesty for Boko Haram, the violent Islamic sect responsible for thousands of deaths. Buhari who spoke with newsmen at the Presidential lounge in Abeokuta described the idea as a step in the right direction.
Buhari who is not known for publicly condemning the sect said “It is good that they have set up a committee on amnesty. I have not seen the terms of reference, but it is a right step in a right direction.
“This is not the first time amnesty would be given to a violent group; you remember it happened in the time of Yar’Adua when he gave amnesty to the Niger Delta militants,” he said.
“whatever that would bring us peace as a society we should do it.”
Buhari's latest statement is rather confusing as he had in the past alleged that there is a political Boko Haram which was under the control of the People's Democratic Party (PDP) and that not all acts of terrorism done in the name of the original Boko Haram were the work of the Shekau led sect.
It would also be recalled that Boko Haram nominated Buhari as one of its trusted nominees I. Proposed talks with the Federal Government a nomination which Buhari rejected.
Many pundits have blamed Buhari's inflammatory rhetoric for the rise of political violence in the North after he allegedly asked his supporters to lynch election riggers. He also said last May that “If what happened in 2011 should again happen in 2015, by the grace of God, the dog and the baboon would all be soaked in blood.’’
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