Boko Haram: Sect adamant on Sharia •Restates conditions for dialogue •As gunmen kill 3 in Borno

THE Boko Haram sect in Maiduguri, on Sunday, called for the immediate release of its members in detention as a condition for talks with the government.
Abu Qaqa, the spokesman for the sect, said, “Our position remains the establishment of sharia  law in all Muslim states in Nigeria.
“But as a temporary measure for peace, we will accept to talk with government only when all our members in captivity all over the states are released,“ Qaqa said in a statement.
He added that the sect had the records of all its members arrested either by the police, the State Security Service (SSS) or other security agencies.
Qaqa pointed out that the sect did not have any other motive than the entrenchment of Islamic law in Nigeria.
He faulted the claims by the Gaji Galtimari-led Federal Government committee on security challenges in the North-East on dialogue with the sect.
“We only heard the story in the media; nobody contacted us throughout the sitting of the committee.
“So, it is wrong for them to recommend dialogue with us, when they did not make any effort to meet with us.
“The idea of appointing the Sultan of Sokoto as a mediator between us and the government is also not acceptable to us, because the Sultan is not the authentic Muslim leader in Nigeria,” Qaqa said.
Meanwhile,  commercial activities were brought to a halt on Monday morning when gunmen suspected to be members of the Boko Haram sect struck and killed three local traders at Baga International Fish Market in Maiduguri, the Borno State capital.
Also, another international market for timber very close to the fish market has since been closed for fear of possible attack by the dreaded sect.
The killers were said to have walked into the market where Chadians, Nigeriens and Cameroonians mostly converge to buy dried fish before killing two local tea sellers, a few hours after they killed a patent medicine seller, bringing the number of the casualties to three.
Sporadic gunshots thereafter rent the air, leaving many, who were scampering for safety, injured and some residents abandoning their houses for fear of being hit by stray bullets.

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