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The federal government has called on members of Boko Haram to lay down their arms and engage government in a constructive manner to address their grievances, if any.
He said the federal government is still open to constructive dialogue with the Boko Haram sect to end insurgency in the North East zone of the country.
President Goodluck Jonathan made the call at an international seminar on the imperatives of observance of human rights and international humanitarian law norms in internal security on Monday at the National Defence College Abuja.
He, however, clarified that while waiting for the response from the sect, the military operations in the troubled areas would continue to safeguard lives and property.
“Our administration has committed tremendous resources and adopted several approaches to prosecuting the fight against terror in Nigeria. The declaration of a state of emergency in Adamawa, Borno and Yobe states is one of the measures taken to contain the activities of the terrorists.”
“The National Committee on Peace and Dialogue in the Northern parts of the country was constituted to explore ways of dialoguing with the Boko Haram sect with a view to addressing their grievances, if any.”
“I wish to use this platform to renew my previous call to members of the sect to lay down their arms and engage government in a constructive manner in order to address their grievances, if truly they have any reason to do what they are doing.
“However, while we are awaiting a positive response from the Boko Haram sect, it is important to note that government has the responsibility to protect the lives and property of our citizens. No efforts will be spared by this administration in discharging that responsibility.”
The President in his speech directed the service chiefs to ensure that human rights are emphasised in the training of members of the armed forces in the fight against insurgency a he claimed that members of the fundamentalist sect does not feel obliged to basic tenets of human rights.
Dr Jonathan described them as “so brutal and so removed from modern civilization, killing innocent citizens at will.”
He admonished individual members of the armed forces to act within a high sense of responsibility and avoid any criminality in the discharge of their duties.
“We are faced with the challenge of dealing with a group that does not feel oblige to observe the basic tenets of human rights and humanitarian precepts in their modus operandi. The group so brutal and so remote from modern civilization, killing innocent people at will.”
“To effectively address these challenges, government have had to frequently deploy the military and other security service in maintaining law and order and restoring normalcy.”
“However, such interventions sometimes evoke concern on account of perceived collateral damage that may be associated with intense military operations.
“As the Commander-In-Chief, I am particularly concern about the manner in which the men and women of the armed forces discharge their responsibilities in spite of the daunting pressure.
“I will like to reaffirm our commitment to ensure that the military at all time adhere to the rules of engagements.’’
With over 3,000 killed in the last three years of insurgency across northern Nigeria, Boko Haram gunmen killed about 100 people in the town of Bama on Wednesday, storming the town, firing on a school, shooting or burning to death dozens of people and trashing the palace of a traditional ruler of one of West Africa’s oldest Islamic kingdoms.
Last Sunday, Boko Haram gunmen killed more than 100 people in the village of Igze, spraying homes with bullets, detonating explosions and burning down dozens of houses.
Noting that the military was called in to support and restore normalcy, the President regretted that sometimes such engagements have had negative effects, acknowledging reports that the armed forces are also involved in rights abuses in the region.
He however said that government will do all to ensure that any allegation of human rights abuse on the part of security operatives will be appropriately addressed.
The international seminar organised by the office of the Attorney General and that of the National Security Adviser is to sensitize security personnel on the rules of engagement to ensure that the fight is carried out within the confines of the law.
In his welcome address, the National Security Adviser, retired Colonel Sambo Dasuki, said the Nigerian Armed Forces were engaged in internal operations in 32 states.
He said the seminar was designed to sensitise participants to the imperative of observing human rights abuses in the course of operations.
Dasuki commended the President for the various initiatives and the deployment of adequate resources to address internal security challenges.
The seminar was attended by the Chief Prosecutor of the International Criminal Court, Mrs Fatou Bensaoda, the Chief Justice of Nigeria, Justice Aloma Mukhtar and the Supervisory Ministers of Defence and Police Affairs, Labaran Maku and Olajumoke Akinjide, respectively.
