Nigeria’s ex-president Olusegun Obasanjo has met with people close to Boko Haram in an attempt to broker the release of more than 200 kidnapped schoolgirls, a source close to the talks told AFP.
The meeting took place last weekend at Obasanjo’s farm in southern Ogun state and included relatives of some senior Boko Haram fighters as well as intermediaries and the former president, the source said.
“The meeting was focused on how to free the girls through negotiation,” said the source who requested anonymity, referring to the girls seized on April 14 from the remote northeastern town of Chibok, Borno state.
Reports of the talks emerged as Nigeria’s Chief of Defence Staff, Air Chief Marshal Alex Badeh, said the girls had been located while casting doubt on the prospect of rescuing them by force.
Obasanjo, who left office in 2007, has previously sought to negotiate with the insurgents, including in September 2011 after Boko Haram bombed the United Nations headquarters in Abuja.
Then, he flew to the Islamists’ base in the Borno state capital, Maiduguri, to meet relatives of former Boko Haram leader Mohammed Yusuf, who was killed in police custody in 2009.
The 2011 talks did not help stem the violence and some at the time doubted if Obasanjo was dealing with people who were legitimately capable of negotiating a ceasefire.
Spokesmen for the former head of state, who remains an influential figure in Nigerian politics, could not be reached to comment on the latest reported Boko Haram talks.
But the source told AFP that Obasanjo had voiced concern about Nigeria’s acceptance of foreign military personnel to help rescue the girls.
AFP
So it is true that boko haram are not ghost? there are people that know them all this long?
ReplyDeleteSo now relatives of Boko Haram are well known? No longer faceless? What is all this bla bla about Boko Haram being faceless, not knowing whom to talk to, giving the impression they are alien and all what not? Now it is so clear that BH are very much in all facets of Nigeria lifes. They are in Politics in Nigeria, in the Police, the Army, Ministries, everywhere you can think of! So what are we saying? Let us not shy away from facing the facts. Let's ask ourselves the Big question? Do we want to remain as one entity call Nigeria? We shouldn't play politics with human lives because we want to wrestles power from certain regions we feel should not be in power. Let's be reasonable!
ReplyDeleteeverybody now wants to be a hero, including Obasanjo.
ReplyDeleteOBJ does not need BH to be a hero!, he is a hero and will always be despite that I don't like him
DeleteObasanjo will ever remain a hero, go and open your lexicon to know the meaning of hero. Moreover, do you have one in your lineage? U are a fool of our time!
DeleteBoko haram are not strangers but our government are not ready to hold them responsible for now.
ReplyDeletewith dis it is obvious our past and present leaders know where and how 2 trape Gboko haram but d dnt want 2 do it. Tell me if all d folowers a killed who wil u lead?
ReplyDeleteAnonymous 8.30pm you so funny.If obasanjo is not an hero your father is because he fought the civil war and was the first person to drive motor car in Nigeria.What is that his name?Remind me foolish person.
ReplyDeleteobasojon if u have any way dat u can break 4rm boko haram through please help us don't look at the face of ur weak boy jona
ReplyDeleteThe release of the girls should be without any condition sir.
ReplyDeleteobasanjo d don of africa.i salute u.me knw say bh must acept ur request
ReplyDeleteI dont trust those politicians they are the brain-box of wat is happening now in Nigeria, just to achieve their selfish interest
ReplyDeleteGod wl geoge is it until they kill half of the nation before those who no the way out wl intervain bcs of selfish intrest na wa o
ReplyDeleteIf nigeria should renain an entity, it is in d hand of yoruba's
ReplyDeleteThe conspiracy that obasanjo and others started that has now translated into boko haram will haunt them all that have a hand in all this, we know the truth even when the rest of Nigeria is so ignorant and blind because they have chosen to see only wat they want to see and hear. But God will vindicate the innocent. Let's see how far you can go general.
ReplyDeletei salute u baba,if indeed nigeria is to remain one it wil be d hand work of d yoruba peple
ReplyDeleteWe don't want to remain one. Nigeria should divide into 6 geopolitical zones and let everyone's relevance show then we will see the leaches that has been sucking other people and causing wide spread poverty and troubles.
DeleteIn ya mind you think we will divide to only 6 abi? As if the Ijaws and Itsekiris can now live together in Peace or the Ife and Modakeke people can now not fight again or the Christians and Muslims in Kaduna or the Hausa vs Tivs can live together or the Kanuris and Fulani now love each other or the Bendel Igbos and the Igbos at the other end of the Niger now believe they are one. Or the Igbos have now forgivin the South South for not supporting them in the Civil war... You want me to continue?
DeleteSee the sooner we see the advantages of all of us living together and kill of the disadvantages the better for all of us.
We need to face facts and address our painful history, learn from it and move on. Our refusal to face history and say the truth caused the civil war. We have refused to address the civil war since then and the wounds have refused to heal. Until we do this, we are not going anywhere.
We must kill off Tribalism and TMR (too much religion) and then lastly corruption (this includes stealing pls). After we do all this then we will know the way forward. This is not prophecy mind you, it is logic!
Nigeria is the most blessed country on earth, I am still looking for a country that has all we have, if we allow God to "vex for us" (if he hasn't already) we go hear am o!
In as much as i would have commended this act by OBJ, it is coming a bit too late, I was expecting him to have responded earlier than this, OBJ is a fearless man that will stop at nothing to get what he feels is good. what people say about him is not important again, he has seen it all, although, he has his floors as well just like any other person would, but when it comes to presidency in Nigeria and Africa at large (except for Madela), OBJ is a hero and nothing can change that.
ReplyDeleteObasanjo shuld ntb praise here, he is my man bt his selfishness is too much any way that is d way ofan average Yoruba man, dey so much bliev in betrayal.
ReplyDeleteJust like your people are betraying the whole nation right now
DeleteI keep hearing and reading this Yoruba betrayal thing, Yet I see the Igbo man betraying his blood brother for money all the time and a whole lot more from other tribes. I hear the Yoruba man is lilly livered yet in the Civil war (painful war) I see out of the 3 mentioned Generals who fought hard to win, two Yorubas Benjamin Adekunle and this man OBJ.
DeleteYes the yorubas too get mouth, but that is becos as a people they discovered long ago that there is power in the tongue.
An average Yoruba man will negotiate rather than fight becos as a people they discovered a long time ago that all wars end with a discussion, so why not kukuma discuss instead of killing ourselves. Y'all should give this blackman some credit joor.
Obj. Can do it , With Gods help
ReplyDelete@8:40,am sure u r from a low or poor tribe sef as u r advocating a break up..OBJ God will help u to assist d govt.
ReplyDeleteI no blame u . After shinning on our oil you can call us low and poor.
DeleteAw common, Anonymous 1:34PM, there was a time this country's economy depended solely on crops o. and these came from North as well as the south, and we did well as a nation then. That Oil is shining as the biggest money spinner for the country now does not mean it will last forever o. Remember Coal was once a huge money spinner too (ask the old men in Enugu).
DeletePeople are already looking at alternative to oil and its moving fast. if what they are doing with Biofuel comes real...money spinner fit shift go north o! if that happens and God does not answer ya prayer that we split, remember say na north sugar cane dey grow pass o
All this comments amuses me. If this meeting were to be between BH and any northern past leaders this comments wouldn't sound like these. People would have been saying master meeting with his boys. GOD ALMIGHTY would vindicate the north and punish &revenge this havoc wrecked in the north.
ReplyDeleteThe politicians know who is who. They know themselves. Otherwise how did Obasanjo know the Boko haram members? I still believe however that we are not one Nigeria. Take it to anywhere we are not one. If we are one why all the killings that are even getting worse everyday? Do you mean that it is a joke? No.
ReplyDeleteif i may ask, what is really the benefit of Nigeria being one? our politics is divided. our love for each other is comical. i think Nigerian breaking up into the six geopolitical zones as the politicians have already done will help us in the long run. we should not remain ONE.
ReplyDeleteCan anyone convince him/herself that there is something OBJ knows about the Northern Nigeria more than the core northerners? Many people actually think like babies. The so called cabals cut across all zones, they will only choose a front from any zone, just to conceal other members' identity. Can we think like adults men? These people are playing games with human lives, non of them is a hero in the true sense.
ReplyDelete