Over the weekend, the northern religious leaders met under the aegis of the Northern Inter Faith and Religious Organisations of Nigeria (Nifrom), to discuss the Boko Haram crisis. According to its coordinator, Bishop Musa Fomson, following the success recorded by the amnesty programme in the Niger Delta, there was the need to replicate it in the northern part of the country.
Bishop Fomson noted that even as the military made gains against the insurgents, the use of force alone cannot win the war against terrorism. He specifically commended the efforts of the special adviser to the president on the Niger Delta and the coordinator of the amnesty programme Brigadier Paul Boroh, especially with regards to the management of funds, noting that the office had already trained 17,322 of the beneficiaries, leaving a balance of 12,678 and even embarked on the domestication of its programmes.
“Since taking over the amnesty programme, Brigadier Boroh has restored hope to many of the agitators. We believe that with such confidence in a man who can be trusted, such programme can be replicated in the troubled northern part of the country,” Bishop Fomson added.
According to Bishop Fomson, the amnesty programme will not just restore peace to the region but will also empower and create job opportunities for youths who have been misled into taking up arms against the state. He added that most insurgents are ready to disarm but are not sure of their fate and as such they need to engage someone with proven records.
He said the government needed to quickly move in and approve an amnesty programme so that the rebuilding of the devastated region, especially the northeast can begin in earnest. Since 2009, Boko Haram has been waging a war against Nigeria, leaving millions homeless, living as refugees and hundreds of villages abandoned.
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