ABUJA, Federal Republic of Nigeria. Kano state governor, Abdullahi Ganduje, has advised the Federal Government to be cautious in negotiating with the Boko Haram sect, so as not to dialogue with the wrong people.
He, however, commended the efforts of the Armed Forces and President Muhammadu Buhari since he assumed office to end the insurgency in the north-eastern part of the country.
Ganduje, who spoke with State House correspondents on Friday at the Presidential Villa, warned that government should be careful about the group it engages in negotiation with because the Boko Haram insurgents are said to have many factions.
President Buhari had few days ago said his administration is negotiating with some of the leaders of the Boko Haram sect to secure the release of the over 200 abducted Chibok schoolgirls.
Buhari reportedly made the disclosure on Tuesday in Paris, France, while fielding questions from members of the Nigerian community in France.
But the governor, when asked on his message to Boko Haram in the face of possible dialogue, said: “I hope when we negotiate with them, we are negotiating with the correct people.
“Experience has shown that they have so many factions and if we are not lucky, we may be dealing with the wrong faction. Whatever it is, I believe the security agencies should have intelligence information to know what type of people we are dealing with,” he said.
Ganduje also stressed the need for community policing, saying communities should be interested in the whole security situation because a lot of information could be received from the local people, which would assist the security agencies.
He also spoke on the optimism for a peaceful Eid-el-kabir celebration in view of the success being recorded by the Nigerian Armed Forces in the fight against the Islamic sect.
Credit: Tribune (Nigeria)
