Buhari Rules out Amnesty for Boko Haram

Major General Muhammadu Buhari, All Progressives Congress (APC) presidential candidate, vowed yesterday to ensure that Boko Haram members face justice for their atrocities committed against Nigeria and its people, if he wins the March 28 presidential election.

Buhari said in London that rather than grant amnesty to the insurgents his administration would make those arrested answer for their crime by prosecuting them.

Speaking after delivering a paper titled: “Prospects for Democratic Consolidation in Africa: Nigeria’s Transition,” at the Royal Institute of International Affairs, popularly known as Chatham House, the former head of state said he would restore Nigeria’s lost glory if elected.

 “On amnesty for Boko Haram, I think I wouldn’t go to that office with such a promise. I mentioned in my address how thousands of Nigerians have been killed by Boko Haram, how millions of them have been displaced and are being camped in different places as internally displaced persons; schools are closed and there is so much disruptions to life. People are not able to farm, and where they farm, they couldn’t harvest.

So, for me, I think I will be unfair to the system if I say I am going to grant amnesty to Boko Haram. We want to secure Nigeria, so we must ensure through intelligence that those who are caught are given the chance to be properly prosecuted.” While debunking insinuations that he once referred to attack on Boko Haram as an attack on the North, he said those attributing such a statement to him were ill-informed.

He also dismissed claims that he is not fit to run Nigeria’s affairs on account of his age.

According to Buhari, at 72, he is as fit as a fiddle even after touring 35 out of 36 states for his campaign.

He stated further that his stance on graft has not changed, vowing not to engage any corrupt individual in his administration, if elected.

The one-hour interactive session, which was chaired by a former British High Commissioner to Nigeria, Sir Richard Gozney, was also attended by prominent APC leaders, Senator Bola Tinubu, Rivers State Governor, Mr. Chibuike Amaechi, and former Ekiti State Governor, Dr. Kayode Fayemi, among other supporters of the party and Nigerians residing abroad. Justifying his no-amnesty- for-Boko Haram stance, Buhari said it would be unfair to thousands of people killed and maimed by the terror group for the Federal Government to pardon them as it did with Niger Delta militants.

He added that it would be erroneous to believe that a region with more than 12,000 of the about 13,000 casualties suffered by the country would regard an attack on the insurgents as an assault on them.

“I think this is an uninformed opinion. Out of those 13,000 casualties, I believe more than 12,000 are Northerners. So how can Northerners feel that an attack on Boko Haram is an attack on them? The schools that were vandalised, the children killed, and particularly the Chibok girls, more than 200 of them, and most of them are Northerners.

So I think one has to examine reasons for believing or disbelieving allegations against any part of the country. It is just like saying that the stealing of about 400,000 barrels of crude oil per day is by the people of Sokoto or Maiduguri, where most of them have never even see a sea. But I assure you that people in their own way are already fighting insurgency by passing relevant information to security agencies and that is to tell you that they are the biggest casualties,” he stated.

On his health status, the APC candidate said: “I am very happy that I have been able to go to 35 states out of 36 and I haven’t broken down. Somebody announced me dead yesterday. I had a call from Maiduguri yesterday (Wednesday) that somebody rushed to a friend’s house that Buhari has died in a hospital in London.

So, the person called me and I laughed my head off. Certainly, I will be expecting too much if I don’t expect that people are wishing me dead. But I am fit. Doctors have declared me fit and I am going back with a renewed onslaught.”

Buhari also warned against postponing the general elections, saying that he will go to court to challenge any fresh vote delay. Asked what his disposition would be to the ‘fat salaries’ of legislators, Buhari said: “I really won’t like to touch their salaries now and I don’t know if I will be constrained to touch it when I become the president.”

On his stance on Sharia, Buhari said: “Sharia is limited by our constitution. So, anybody who wants to change the Sharia will have to change the constitution.” Buhari, in his lecture, described the present administration as a wasteful government.

According to him, the two major problems of the Peoples Democratic Party – led government are corruption and waste.

“Let me assure you that if I am elected president, the world will have no cause to worry about Nigeria as it has had to recently, that Nigeria will return to its stabilising role in West Africa, and that no inch of Nigerian territory will ever be lost to the enemy because we will pay special attention to the welfare of our soldiers in and out of service; we will give them adequate and modern arms and ammunition to work with.

We will improve intelligence gathering to choke Boko Haram’s financial and equipment channels; we will be tough on terrorism and tough on its root causes by initiating a comprehensive economic development plan promoting infrastructural development, job creation, agriculture and industry in the affected areas.

“We will always act on time and not allow problems to irresponsibly fester, and I, General Muhammadu Buhari, will always lead from the front and return Nigeria to its leadership role in regional and international efforts to combat terrorism.” On corruption, he said: “First and foremost, we will plug the holes in the budgetary process. Revenue producing entities such as Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) and Customs and Excise will have one set of books only. Their revenues will be publicly disclosed and regularly audited.

The institutions of state dedicated to fighting corruption will be given independence and prosecutorial authority without political interference. But I must emphasise that any war waged on corruption should not be misconstrued as settling old scores or a witch-hunt.

I’m running for president to lead Nigeria to prosperity and not adversity.” Buhari also stated that he accepted responsibility for his actions as a military ruler, adding that dictatorship is sine qua non to military rule. He said: “I have heard and read references to me as a former dictator in many respected British newspapers including the well regarded The Economist. Let me say without sounding defensive that dictatorship goes with military rule, though some might be less dictatorial than others.

“I take responsibility for whatever happened under my watch. I cannot change the past. But I can change the present and the future. So before you is a former military ruler and a converted democrat who is ready to operate under democratic norms and is subjecting himself to the rigours of democratic elections for the fourth time.” The PDP, however, faulted Buhari’s lecture, saying his appearance at Chatham House will not stop his defeat on March 28. The party’s Presidential Campaign Organisation also queried Buhari’s decision to honour the Chatham House invitation while refusing to participate in presidential debate.