There were indications yesterday that the Federal Government may go
after the strategists and financiers of the Boko Haram sect as a way of
ending the spate of bombings in the country. Also being targeted by
security agencies are those believed to be inciting the sect into
violence through the spread of hate messages in certain parts of the
country.
A reliable government source told Greenwich news that security
agents had decided to look beyond those who merely throw bombs in their
bid to find a lasting solution to the cycle of violence in parts of the
North.
About 1,000 Nigerians have so far been killed in various parts of the
country since the sect began its bombing activities in 2009, according
to Human Rights Watch.
The source said the administration decided to take on other elements
of the sect, who have decided to make life unbearable for other
Nigerians.
The source said: “The focus of the search is gradually shifting from
the sect’s foot soldiers, who merely go on suicide missions to the
financiers, intelligence class and those who indoctrinate the
bomb-throwers”.
Asked if indeed the sect was involved in any form of dialogue with
the government, the source admitted that some form of discussion was
going on with the administration but declined to give further details.
The source said the recent listing of three Boko Haram leaders as
terrorists by the United States had made some members of the group to
seek dialogue, apparently to avoid being designated as a foreign
terrorist organisation.
“The sect has come to realise that the government is fully aware of
what it is doing and that is why they have soft-pedaled. The heat is
more than what the sect can take,” the source said.
Last week, a prominent northern leader, Dr. Junaid Mohammed, warned
people to stop associating the sect with any religion, as its activities
did not have anything to do with any of the religious groups in the
country.
Mohammed said: “As far as I am concerned, Boko Haram is a terrorist
group; it has nothing to do with Islam or Christianity. Let those who
are ignorant stop associating it with any religion and face the reality
on the ground.
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