Boko Haram Deserves No Amnesty — Odita

Fri, Mar 15, 2013
By publisher
8 MIN READ

Cover Box, Featured

FRANK Odita, security expert and former commissioner of police, bares his mind on the call by some northern elders, on the federal government to grant amnesty to Boko Haram members. He also dwelt on other security issues when he spoke to a Realnews editorial team of Olu Ojewale, general editor, and Anayo Ezugwu, reporter. Excerpts:

Realnews: What do you think about the present call by some northern elders on the federal government to grant general amnesty to Boko Haram?
Odita: If you have been reading my column on Sunday Sun, you would have found out that I have spoken extensively on the matter. I said clearly that the Niger Delta militants were granted amnesty because they dialogued. They came out to dialogue with the government and government thought that what they were agitating for was legitimate and right and because it was legitimate and right, the president considered that since the Niger Delta is a goldmine, that is where our money is coming from and we needed peace there. And because we needed peace, it was natural for the government to considered their demands and grant them what they deserved to enable the place to develop and for our income to flow. Every Nigerian supported it because if you go to the Niger Delta you will see the degradation of the environment and the nature of their land, water and everything. They deserved the amnesty because they also surrendered their arms and once their arms were surrendered, it meant they had given up militancy and because they needed to be granted amnesty.

Odita, security expert and former commissioner of police
Odita, security expert and former commissioner of police

The Amnesty offer also included reorientation and they went through reorientation, some of them travelled abroad after that; some are into different business schools, trading and they are learning skills so that when they come back, they can be integrated into the society. But we can’t say that for Boko Haram because we don’t know what they are fighting for. The literal interpretation of Boko Haram is that western education is not acceptable to them; that is what they said. Nobody is contesting that with them because we don’t know who they are. Are they educated or not? We don’t know. And because they are faceless, nobody knows who they are, why they are doing what they are doing. So, it is necessary that if anybody is thinking of amnesty, they should encourage those who are going to enjoy the amnesty to please come out and dialogue with the government and government needs to find out why they are doing what they are doing and then, the reasons for their actions. Then amnesty would be granted to them. And that is my opinion.

Realnews: There is another thing, the emergence of a splinter group?
Odita: As far as I am concerned, they are all Boko Haram.

Realnews: There is also a report that the seven foreigners abducted by the group have been killed?
Odita: They alleged that they have killed them but nobody has seen their corpses or has any evidence. Nobody has seen the video clips of the killing. I’m a police officer and I believe in evidence. I want them to show people their corpses and that is the only way I would agree that they have really killed them. So far, it’s been alleged.

Realnews: In the event that this really happened, what does it portend for Nigeria?
Odita: What it portends is that criminality is taking a new dimension because that is a cold-blooded murder. The people they abducted are foreigners who are giving their services for Nigeria. So, I don’t see any moral justification for that.

Realnews: What do you have to say about the security situation in the country?
Odita: The security situation in the country, as far as I’m concerned, is still not worrisome. There are 36 states and the areas we are having the problems are only two states and because it is only happening in two states and others are at peace, you wouldn’t say the situation is worrisome. There is no nation in the world that exists without crimes. You cannot wipe out crimes on earth as long as human beings continue to live in the world. It is human beings that generate crimes. So, it has not reached to a level that our country is not safe. Nigeria is a safe place to live.

Realnews: You said that insecurity is only in two states. Which states are you talking about?
Odita: I’m talking of Borno and Yobe states where Boko Haram is very serious. There is something you must know in every activity of the criminal. There are usually criminals who take advantage of the big players that is, like when kidnapping started, it looked like a child’s play. They were kidnapping only the expatriates and it was started by Niger Delta militants to twist the hands of government so that it could do something for the Niger Delta and the Niger Deltans. But it had since been hijacked and commercialised, so what they are doing now is kidnap for ransom. So, armed robbers have abandoned armed robbery because it is very risky and they can kidnap anybody for ransom.

For example, Frank Odita is a former commissioner of police, a well-known person, if his mother is still alive, they will go and kidnap her and ask Frank to pay ransom because he wouldn’t want his mother to die in the hands of the kidnappers. So, they make cool money from that single act which should not be encouraged. When they kidnapped Ngozi Okonje-Iweala’s mother, did they not release her? All kidnappers went underground because the whole nation went after them. Consequently, the kidnappers started calling each other to say please release that woman before she spoils business for us. Whether ransom was paid or not, I don’t know but the entire system-police, military and all of them went after the kidnappers. So, criminals have their style, once there is a little game being played by the big players, they would capitalise on it.

OditaAlso don’t forget that politics is beginning to heat up and there are certain people who want to eliminate certain people whom they consider as a cog in their own wheels of progress. When certain crimes are being committed, what is important is to follow the trend to be able to find out who the victims are, why they killed the people and so on.

As we know Kano State was a Boko Haram state before. But the former governor of the state drove them out. They went to Niger state and the people of the state said they don’t need them. Likewise, in Bauchi state, so they found a haven in Borno state and they have since occupied the state. I was very happy that my president went there because they are still part of Nigeria and he owes them a responsibility to visit the state.  I want to believe that even if Boko Haram is in four states, we still have 32 states that are safe. We should not allow them to hold the 36 states to ransom. All we need to do is to concentrate on the four states and make sure we flush them out. Just as what the president said, “if you want me to withdraw the JTF, you the elders of the state must deal with the situation because it is your problem. After all, what is democracy? Democracy is the government of the people for the people and by the people.

Realnews: So what is the way out?
Odita: The only way out is that everyone is concerned and we all must help the security agents to deal with the situation. People should be able to volunteer information to the security agents and the security agents should equally protect those who give them information so that they wouldn’t regret giving them information. That is the way out. Once we are able to identify the non-masked and bring them out, those who need to be dealt with will be dealt with, while those who need amnesty will be granted.

Realnews: Sir, do you think that the terrorist activities in Nigeria will make the country a terrorist nation?
Odita: I don’t believe so.

Realnews: But their activities are going international because they are being linked with abduction of the French nationals in Mali?
Odita: What you are trying to tell me is that you are linking Boko Haram with Al-Qaeda. If it begins to get international dimension, then it will not concern only Nigeria. The United Nations has to come into it. But so far, we are dealing with crimes and criminalities in Nigeria. That is why the JTF is there. It is an internal issue and when it gets to terrorism, it becomes a big issue that involves the UN. Before you can call a man a terrorist, he must be operating within and outside his country, which means that they are already employing foot soldiers from other countries to come and help them, and then it becomes terrorism. But for now, we are dealing with crimes and criminalities where you have people killing other people.

— Mar. 25, 2013 @ 01:00 GMT

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7 thoughts on "Boko Haram Deserves No Amnesty — Odita"

  1. mass murder should be celebrated and the mass murderers AKA BOKO HARAM given national honours.OSAMA BIN LADEN should be awarded the NOBEL Price for PEACE posthumously.AL QUAEDA should be given a permanent seat at the UNITED NATIONS this will bring love and PEACE to the world.HOW ABOUT THAT