- Jonathan Reveals Boko Haram Once Chose Buhari as Negotiator
- The insurgents named Buhari as their preferred negotiator
- Easier to persuade the insurgents to lay down their arms, but the crisis persisted
Former President Goodluck Jonathan has disclosed that Boko Haram insurgents once nominated former President Muhammadu Buhari to represent them in peace talks with the Federal Government.
Eko Hot Blog reports that Jonathan made the revelation on Friday at the public presentation of Scars, a book written by former Chief of Defence Staff, General Lucky Irabor (retired), in Abuja.
He explained that while his administration established several committees to explore dialogue with the sect, in one instance the insurgents named Buhari as their preferred negotiator.
The former president said he initially believed Buhari’s emergence as president would make it easier to persuade the insurgents to lay down their arms, but the crisis persisted. He noted that this showed the insurgency was far more complicated than many assumed.
Jonathan explained that Boko Haram began in 2009 when he was vice president and intensified during his five years in office. He admitted that despite several strategies and committees, his government could not defeat the group, and neither did Buhari’s administration.
He emphasized that the matter required a new approach, blending force with dialogue, as the crisis went beyond hunger or poverty, pointing to the sophisticated weapons used by the terrorists as evidence of external support.
He described the abduction of the Chibok schoolgirls in 2014 as a permanent scar on his presidency, adding that he hoped members of the sect would one day write their own accounts to clarify their motives, just as key actors in the Nigerian Civil War did.
Jonathan urged the current government to adopt innovative measures to end the conflict. He concluded that while Boko Haram remains a grave challenge, Nigeria will eventually overcome it with unity, commitment, and a deeper understanding of the group’s true objectives.
