Reps to Jonathan: Give amnesty to Boko Haram

The House of Representatives yesterday called on President Goodluck Jonathan to grant amnesty to members of Boko Haram sect without further delay in order to end the  spate of violence in the country. 

Adopting a motion on matters of urgent national importance sponsored by Rep. Ibrahim Olaifa (AC, Oyo), MPs said the government and the nation have everything to gain when the violence is ended. In his motion, Rep. Olaifa argued that if the same government had given

amnesty to Niger Delta militants there was no reason that it won’t extend same to Boko Haram members because they too are Nigerians who deserve to be treated as such. “We have continued to lose lives and property everyday but there is nothing to lose if we engage these people in dialogue and offer them amnesty.

They are Nigerians and we know that poverty pushed some of them to engage in violence. We should turn them to peaceful human beings instead of treating them as goats. Nigeria has nothing to lose,” Olaifa said. The motion was not debated further  but passed  unanimously when the question was put to vote by Speaker Aminu Waziri Tambuwal who presided over the session.