by James Sambo
Prominent northerners have implored the President-elect, Muhammadu Buhari, to declare amnesty for Boko Haram insurgents when he takes over power on May 29.
The elders who made the call include the former Chief Justice of Nigeria, CJN, Mohammed Uwais and Secretary to the Government of the Federation, SGF, Ambassador Babagana Kingibe and former Nigerian Ambassador to the United Nations, Ibrahim Gambari.
Their request was contained in a communiqué issued in Abuja on Friday, after a two-day conference with the theme: “Security and Governance Challenges in Africa’s largest Democracy,” by the Savannah Centre for Diplomacy, Democracy and Development.
The communiqué was collectively signed by Prof. Ibrahim Gambari, founder of Savannah Centre, Major General Ishola Williams, Executive Secretary, Pan-African Strategic and Peace Research Group, PAN-AFSTRAG, Justice Mohammed Uwais (chairman of the occasion) and Ambassador Abdullahi Omaki, executive director of the Savannah Centre.
Buhari was also asked to give special attention to the special economic programmes for the North East geopolitical zone which had been ravaged by the Boko Haram terrorists, while also warning against the scrapping of the on-going amnesty programme for ex-militants in the Niger Delta region.
They also called on the Federal Government “to expedite action on the compensation of victims of Boko Haram terrorism and insurgency through the established and funded Victims’ Support Fund”, among other requests.
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