With the full understanding and support of the then-President Goodluck Jonathan, former President Olusegun Obasanjo and Senator Shehu Sani once visited Boko Haram on their own, according to Hakeem Baba Ahmed, former Special Advisor to Vice President Kashim Shettima.
Ahmed asserted in a Symfoni TV video that Obasanjo and Sani had met with a number of Boko Haram members in Maiduguri and asked them what they wanted in exchange for an end to the conflict. He asserted that Boko Haram had four demands on them.
According to Ahmed, the Boko Haram members initially demanded that the police officers who killed their leader, Mohammed Yusuf, be brought to justice. Their other demand was that Mohammed Yusuf’s house in Maiduguri be rebuilt. He added that they also asked for permission to preach in peace without being attacked and for their families to be free from harassment.
According to Ahmed, Jonathan’s administration failed to fulfill any of the requirements. A year later, Jonathan created a presidential committee to negotiate with Boko Haram, and he said he was a member of the committee. When he contacted them, the terrorist group Boko Haram made the same four requests as a condition for their surrender, he added.
In Ahmed’s words, “President Obasanjo and Senator Shehu Sani came to see them on their own, evidently with President Jonathan’s permission and consent. ” They spoke with some of the Boko Haram leaders in Maiduguri to learn about their demands in an attempt to put a stop to this. If I remember correctly, they imposed four requirements on them.
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