Boko Haram: No Dialogue With Government

The leadership of Jamaatu ahlis sunnah lil daawati wal jihad, popularly known as Boko Haram, has again, denied engaging in talks with the Nigerian government, contrary to widespread reports that the sect had re- entered into dialogue with the government.
The group made this denial in an email to PREMIUM TIMES on Wednesday evening.
The sect not only denied talks with the government, but also described the purported press statement by one Abu Muhammad, who claimed to be the second in Command to the sect’s leader, Abubakar Shekau, as the creation of the media.

The sect said its position on dialogue was made clear in a recent video address by its leader, where Mr. Shekau foreclosed any possibility of dialogue with the government, but which it said many media houses ignored, but were quick to publicise the “purported Meccah meeting”.

The sect recalled that it was because of such misrepresentations by the media that it attacked Thisday Newspaper, adding that as far as it is concerned, “those who fight us with guns and those who use pen are one and the same”.

The sect also said it is aware that many people were using its name to get huge sums of money under the pretext that they would “arrange dialogue with us”.

It called on such fake intermediaries to “fear Allah before they get into the hands of Allah’s army”.

In the statement, the sect said since the Federal Government “lured and arrested one of our leaders, Abu Darda who was sent to dialogue on our behalf and also frustrated the one facilitated by a journalist, Ahmad Salkida and headed by Dr. Ibrahim Datti, we have foreclosed any possibility of talks with the government”.

The group says it is aware Mr. Datti had entered into a fresh round of talks with the government.
It therefore warned Mr. Datti to “respect his age and desist forth with”.

The sect added that the only guarantee to peace is the full implementation of Sharia in Nigeria.
“As long as the government has not put aside the constitution and embrace the Holy Quran as the final law in the land, government should stop dreaming of peace because we will never stop fighting,” it said.