Former President Goodluck Jonathan has revealed fresh details about the complexity of Nigeria’s fight against insecurity, disclosing that Boko Haram insurgents once nominated ex-President Muhammadu Buhari to represent them in peace talks with the Federal Government.
Jonathan made the revelation on Friday during the public presentation of Scars, a book authored by former Chief of Defence Staff, Gen. Lucky Irabor (retd.), in Abuja.
According to him, his administration established several committees to explore dialogue with the sect. In one such instance, the insurgents named Buhari as their preferred negotiator.
“One of the committees we set up then, the Boko Haram nominated Buhari to lead their team to negotiate with the government. So I was feeling that, oh, if they nominated Buhari to represent them and have a discussion with the government committee, then when Buhari took over, it could have been an easy way to negotiate with them and they would have handed over their guns. But it was still there till today,” Jonathan said.
He stressed that Buhari’s eventual inability to end Boko Haram highlighted the deeper, more complex nature of the insurgency.
Jonathan, who became president in 2010 after serving as vice president, said his administration fought the insurgency throughout his five years in office. He admitted he believed Buhari would “wipe them out” after assuming office in 2015, but the crisis has persisted.
“The issue of Boko Haram is far more complex than it is often presented,” Jonathan said. “It’s not just a matter of hunger or poverty. We tried different options, set up committees, and employed several strategies, but they didn’t work. I believe the late Buhari, too, must have tried his best. But the problem requires a different approach.”
The former president urged serving military officers and policymakers to document their experiences to help Nigeria develop better strategies against insurgency.
Background
Boko Haram, founded in the early 2000s in Borno State, became a major threat after its leader, Mohammed Yusuf, was killed in police custody in 2009. The group’s violent campaign since then has included bombings, mass abductions, and attacks on both civilian and military targets.
In 2012, at the peak of the insurgency, reports indicated that Boko Haram listed Buhari among northern leaders it trusted to mediate peace talks with the government. Buhari publicly rejected the offer at the time, accusing Jonathan’s administration of attempting to drag him into the crisis for political reasons.
Jonathan, however, insisted at the Abuja event that Boko Haram’s resilience shows Nigeria must adopt unconventional solutions. “God willing, we will be able to resolve this crisis,” he concluded.
