North kicks against ban on B’Haram, Ansaru

Members of the boko haram sect

The North on Wednesday disagreed with the National Assembly on the proscription of two Islamic miltant groups – Boko Haram and Ansaru–by President Goodluck Jonathan.

While the North through its two prominent groups, the Arewa Consultative Forum and the Northern Elders Forum, faulted the ban, the National Assembly insisted that it was a welcome development.

To the ACF and the NEF, the Jonathan administration has through the ban thrown a spanner in the works in its efforts to  end   bloodletting in the North  through amnesty for Boko Haram and Ansaru members.

They said they were waiting to see  how the Federal Government would address the  crisis in the North.

In an interview with one of our correspondents in Kaduna, the  ACF’s National Publicity Secretary, Mr. Anthony Sani, argued that with the ban,   negotiations with Boko Haram would be difficult.

He asked, “Now that they (government) have proscribed the sect, can they now negotiate with a non-existing group?

“Before,  the government told us that  it was  using  a stick and carrot approach; that is, negotiation and state of emergency; now that they  have proscribed it (Boko Haram), how will the negotiation work?

“It is the government that told us that  a stick and carrot approach will work together. Now that they have gone to proscribe  Boko Haram, let us see how they will  apply  the stick and carrot. We pray that they succeed.”

Sani wondered if the government would negotiate with members of the sect individually instead of meeting the group.

He added,  “The government said they  needed the emergency in order to reclaim  the seized  town taken over by Boko Haram. This made  Nigerians, including  us (ACF)  to give them the go-ahead. We supported the state of emergency to reclaim seized part  of the country.

“But now that they have proscribed the sect, we don’t know how they will apply the carrot. Now, how can you negotiate with an   illegal entity? The group has just been proscribed. They have announced it. They are applying the stick now but we don’t know how they will apply the carrot.”

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