The Presidential Committee on Dialogue and Peaceful Resolution of Security Challenges in the North on Thursday met with some suspected members of Boko Haram detained at the Kuje Maximum Security Prison, Abuja.
The 17-member committee was led by its Chairman and Minister of Special Duties, Alhaji Tanimu Turaki, to the prison.
The committee held closed door consultation, which lasted for about three hours with the alleged mastermind of the Christmas day bombing in Madalla, Niger, Kabiru Sokoto and other suspected members of the sect in the prison.
Addressing some State House correspondents on the meeting, Turaki said the consultation was in furtherance of the committee’s mission to unearth more facts about Boko Haram.
Turaki, however, declined to give details of the consultations but said that the suspects gave the committee members maximum co-operation and that they had constructive dialogue.
“As some of you may have noticed, we have had very useful discussions with some inmates that are being held here on the allegations of being either members of Jamatul Ahlus Sunnah on accounts of terrorism or acts related thereto.
“We want to assure Nigerians that this committee is poised to make sure that it carries out this assignment with all sense of responsibility, with all honesty and with diligence.
“We have had cause in the past to speak to members of Jamatul Ahlus Sunnah and in doing so to tell them that members of this committee are people of proven integrity and accomplished Nigerians who were carefully selected by Mr President to come and do this national assignment.’’
The chairman clarified that the committee’s brief was not to grant amnesty but to encourage dialogue among stakeholders.
He added that the objective of the committee was not just to get the group to cease fire totally but to also look for ways of having constructive dialogue, honest and frank dialogue with all major stakeholders across board.
“Therefore, we will continue to solicit the support of not only the people that are considered to be directly or indirectly involved in this issue, but other Nigerians,’’ he said.
President Goodluck Jonathan inaugurated the committee on April 24 with a matching order to proffer solutions to the Boko Haram insurgence in three months.
Jonathan said the committee was expected to establish link and open up dialogue with members of the Boko Haram and develop a framework for their disarmament.
He said the committee should also work out a sustainable option that would lead to the granting of amnesty to the group.
The president had also asked the committee to develop a comprehensive support programme for the victims of the excesses of the group.
