Chief Peter Kwaha Michika leader (Kaduna State)
Well, I think it is done all over the world, to give amnesty to such people. However, such a pardon should be done with caution. They should not be left to live like any other citizens. They should be watched carefully and their activities duly monitored.
This is to forestall their return to the crime. I know many Nigerians will not support the amnesty initiative, but if these culprits voluntarily surrendered, I think the authorities can grant them pardon. Those who returned voluntarily are different from those caught in the crossfire of the crisis.
Samuel Luka
I think the Federal Government should consider this initiative . If their repentance is genuine, they should be granted amnesty. However, the authorities should provide them means of livelihood so that they do not return to their former lifestyle. Agreed many are canvassing that they should be punished for their deeds, the Bible experience says otherwise.
In fact, the prodigal son was well received when he returned to his father’s house. The young man’s waywardness was obvious but his father welcomed him. The same applies to human beings and God.
When you commit a sin and you repent and God sees your heart that you have genuinely repented, He will forgive you.
For the victims of Boko Haram atrocities, their relatives should just be forgiving. This is so because their deceased will never come back even if the culprits are prosecuted for their actions.
Nadia Kabir, Undergraduate
It’s like a Catch-22 situation, you don’t know which strategy will work. Those sympathetic to the Boko Haram cause or to the larger tendency they represent, will say, why not? After all, what is good for the goose is also sauce for the gander: terrorism is terrorism.
They will argue that, yes, when the avengers and militants were doing their own, attacking the economic base of the country, we bent low to grant them recognition, giving the amnesty and scholarships and all that. Why not Boko Haram?
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Now the issue is that whether we like it or not, the activities of the group has been causing the nation a lot on all fronts, shouldn’t we do something to check the waste?
But we also know that many of those fighting for the insurgents in the North- Eastern part of Nigeria have been conscripted against their will and world view. Surely something ought to be done to rehabilitate them.
Some have chosen to call it ‘de-radicalisation’, if that is it , let it be done. Enough is really enough. The federal Government should do something positive to discourage fighters from joining them.
That’s my view. But others may say, ‘over my dead body, don’t touch the haramists. But we have to do something positive. And fast.
Josh Chiwar, Lecturer
No! The Federal government shouldn’t give such people amnesty. They should be in confinement for rehabilitation. I do not think giving them amnesty consideration is the best option now. Amnesty should not be the talk of the day. How are we sure that these people have truly repented?
The Federal Government should make effort for these individuals to be investigated. I still insist that the best bet for them remains rehabilitation. This is to enable them know the weight of what they have done. Some of these people have been brainwashed, they have to be told the truth.
Ibrahim Kwaha, ICT Consultant
No, I don’t think it’s a good idea because giving amnesty to them will demoralise the fighting spirit of our security operatives. What then is the reason for allowing members of the armed forces going to go after them? I think the objective was for these individuals to face justice.
Throwing amnesty at them will just defeat the essence. The Federal Government should think of other ways of handling their issue. For me, it is a no, no for amnesty. We don’t even know if they will return to the forest and create more problems for the country. We have suffered enough because of these people. So, amnesty should not be the first move.
