The Minister of Information Welcomes Boko Haram For Talks

Minister of Information Labaran Maku said the government was still open to dialogue with members of the Boko Haram sect that has claimed responsibility for a wave of bombings in which hundreds have been killed. Maku said at a Security Conference organised by UK-based BEN Television in London that some members of the group were willing to talk to the government, adding that it was no longer a unifi...ed organisation.

“We are ready to talk to them but we need to have a platform for that to happen; we will continue to maintain the pressure,” he said adding, “Even in Afghanistan, the Americans are talking to the Taliban.” Maku, who said it was untrue that the government did not have a strategy in place to fight terrorism, added: “in the midst of war you must develop a strategy.” “We currently have a West African strategy where all our security chiefs across the region are meeting regularly to discuss cross-boundary problems, including terrorism.

“We have a strong national resource and capacity to tackle this menace and are open to fresh ideas on this menace,” the minister said. “This is a war of minds; it’s not just a military or security war; how to talk to them is a long drawn process. We need to know who they are,” Maku stressed. The minister explained that the Boko Haram method of indiscriminate attacks on innocent people showed that their strategy was terrorism. He said that the methods adopted by the group were similar with those used by others across the globe. “There are links between the groups in Nigeria and the elements in Somalia, in the Maghreb and Al-Qaeda,” Maku said. (NAN)