Members of the Islamist sect – Boko Haram – have been called upon to halt their spate of attacks and embrace dialogue in the interest of national peace and security.
The All Progressives Congress (APC) which made the call in Warri, Delta State, in a statement signed by its interim national publicity secretary, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, condemned the latest of such attacks that left many students of the College of Agriculture, Gujba in Yobe State dead and injured on Sunday. It described the killings as dastardly, senseless and indefensible.
The party implored traditional, religious, political and opinion leaders in the affected areas to urgently wade in to end the cycle of violence being perpetrated by the sect.
The statement reads in part, “It is clear that this Boko Haram menace cannot be resolved by the government alone, hence all stakeholders must urgently intervene to complement government’s efforts to end the insurgency and get those behind it to embrace dialogue.
“There can be no justification for Boko Haram sect to continue to kill and maim innocent citizens, especially because the victims are not just fellow Nigerians like them, but most are actually their kith and kin,’’ APC said.
The statement further described the continued violence by the sect as inexcusable, especially at a time that government has extended the Olive Branch by setting up a committee for dialogue.
“We in the APC have been unrelenting in our advocacy for dialogue as a way of ending the insurgency. Fortunately, the government has also embraced dialogue, after initially resisting it as an option.
“Boko Haram should remember that they are not fighting an external war, and that their grievances, whatever they are, can never be resolved by continued killing, maiming and plundering. They must therefore put an immediate end to their cycle of violence and opt for dialogue. The longer this violence continues, the more difficult it becomes to resolve. Enough is enough!’’ it said.
The All Progressives Congress (APC) which made the call in Warri, Delta State, in a statement signed by its interim national publicity secretary, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, condemned the latest of such attacks that left many students of the College of Agriculture, Gujba in Yobe State dead and injured on Sunday. It described the killings as dastardly, senseless and indefensible.
The party implored traditional, religious, political and opinion leaders in the affected areas to urgently wade in to end the cycle of violence being perpetrated by the sect.
The statement reads in part, “It is clear that this Boko Haram menace cannot be resolved by the government alone, hence all stakeholders must urgently intervene to complement government’s efforts to end the insurgency and get those behind it to embrace dialogue.
“There can be no justification for Boko Haram sect to continue to kill and maim innocent citizens, especially because the victims are not just fellow Nigerians like them, but most are actually their kith and kin,’’ APC said.
The statement further described the continued violence by the sect as inexcusable, especially at a time that government has extended the Olive Branch by setting up a committee for dialogue.
“We in the APC have been unrelenting in our advocacy for dialogue as a way of ending the insurgency. Fortunately, the government has also embraced dialogue, after initially resisting it as an option.
“Boko Haram should remember that they are not fighting an external war, and that their grievances, whatever they are, can never be resolved by continued killing, maiming and plundering. They must therefore put an immediate end to their cycle of violence and opt for dialogue. The longer this violence continues, the more difficult it becomes to resolve. Enough is enough!’’ it said.
