Nigerian Christians in U.S. Fault Amnesty for Boko Haram
The Christian Association of Nigerian- Americans, CANAN, on Friday faulted the intense political pressure mounted on the government to grant amnesty to extremist group, Boko Haram.
The Executive Director of CANAN, Laolu Akande, said in statement in New York that there were other options aside amnesty.
“We are not out rightly against a political solution, side by side with the enforcement of law and order which is government’s primary assignment anywhere,’’ he said.
The group said any political approach had to involve both parties to a conflict.
Mr. Akande said the idea of dialogue with the extremist group was questionable since the leaders of Boko Haram have rejected the idea of negotiations and the amnesty itself in the past and have “even killed certain leaders who have been perceived to be leading the charge for a political solution.”
“So who will the government be negotiating with? Can a man clap with one hand,’’ CANAN queried.
The group noted that it had watched with “bated breath” the strident clamour by a group of Nigerian political elite to grant terrorists amnesty.
“This is shaping up to a certain manifestation of the theatre of the absurd,” it said. “Not that Nigeria is not used to such perfidious propositions, it is the total despising of the murdered, traumatized and maimed victims of the terrorists that make this situation a pervasion.’’
The group added that when the federal government agreed to set up a committee to consider the demand to grant amnesty to terrorists, it completed its treachery against the wives, children and relatives of victims of Boko Haram.
The group, however, queried if government had considered setting up anything to help the victims and to know the exact count of victims killed by the Boko Haram.
“We have made it clear before now that most of the victims of Boko Haram are Christians, whose only offence is their choice of worship.
“Together last month, our association and CAN in Nigeria gave voice to the victims at a press conference in Abuja. We also announced a widow’s mite of 50,000 dollars to the victims,’’ CANAN said.
Source: Legit.ng
