Northern govs ask Boko Haram to accept amnesty

Northern governors have asked members of the Boko Haram sect to embrace the amnesty offered to them by President Goodluck Jonathan on Democracy Day.

The chairman of the Northern States Governors’ Forum, Governor Babangida Aliyu of Niger State, made the plea on behalf of his colleagues on Friday.

In a statement issued by his spokesman, Mr Israel Ebije, the governor said Jonathan’s amnesty offer was “a welcome idea”.

Aliyu said that the Northern states’ governors were ready to cooperate and support the federal government to address the grievances of the insurgents in order to ensure their successful re-integration into the larger society.

The governors described the amnesty offer as “laudable” because it would help restore peace and harmony in troubled areas of the country.

They appealed to the sect members to lay down their arms, saying that peace and stability was essential to the region’s development and growth.

Insecurity has increased fear, encouraged suspicion and put national development in reverse gear, they lamented.

In his presidential broadcast on Thursday, Jonathan promised to pursue all options to bring the insurgency to an end, but also said there would be full-scale military action for those who refuse to embrace dialogue.