TheCable

The Centre for Crisis Communication (CCC), an Abuja-based group, says members of the Boko Haram sect have contacted it to initiate a dialogue process with the federal government.

President Muhammadu Buhari had earlier said his administration was open to a peace deal with the group, which is running a six-year-old campaign of violence against the government, security agencies and civilians.

“If we are convinced that the leadership of Boko Haram that presents itself can deliver those girls, we will quickly negotiate what they want,” he told Christiane Amanpour in response to a question on whether his government would negotiate for the release of the Chibok schoolgirls.

Speaking in Abuja on Tuesday, Yusuf Anas, executive secretary of CCC, claimed that the insurgents have expressed willingness to lay down their arms in exchange of peace.

“From discussions held so far, the members seem to be speaking on behalf of a cross-section of the group. They expressed willingness to come forward to make certain proposals on behalf of other members of the group. If we pursue this line, I believe something positive will come out,” he said.

“The option of dialogue, according to them, at the moment provides a leeway of not only safely rescuing the abducted Chibok school girls alive but also possibly bringing to an end, the orgy of violence unleashed on innocent Nigerians by the group.

“Considering the unspeakable atrocities which the group has visited on Nigeria and Nigerians, this option is no doubt a hard sell. However, the recent statement of President Muhammadu Buhari on government’s readiness to negotiate with credible members of the sect has rekindled hope for dialogue.

“The Centre views this gesture as good because it has opened a window of opportunity for dialogue for these insurgents that are willing and ready to lay down their arms.

“This position is predicated on calls made to the centre by some members of the Boko Haram requesting for genuine and comprehensive dialogue that could lead to hundreds of them coming out to renounce their membership.

“The centre however suggests that such dialogue should be done with every sense of caution and responsibility, bearing in mind the previous disappointments that attended attempts at negotiation.”

The previous attempt of the government to negotiate for the release of the abducted girls ended up an embarrassment. The administration of former president, Goodluck Jonathan, invested a lot in the process only to discover that it was a fluke.