Boko Haram insists on release of its members in detention before dialogue

The Boko Haram sect in Maiduguri on Sunday called for the immediate release of its members in detention as a condition for talks with the government.

Abu Qaqa, the spokesman for the sect said, “Our position remains the establishment of Shariah Law in all Muslim states in Nigeria. “But as a temporary measure for peace, we will accept to talk with government only when all our members in captivity all over the states are released,“ Qaqa said in a statement. He added that the sect had the records of all its members arrested either by the police, the State Security Service (SSS) or other security agencies.

Qaqa pointed out that the sect did not have any other motive than the entrenchment of Islamic law in Nigeria. He faulted the claims by the Gaji Galtimari-led Federal Government committee on security challenges in the Northeast on dialogue with the sect. “We only heard the story in the media, nobody contacted us throughout the sitting of the committee. “So, it is wrong for them to recommend dialogue with us when they did not make any effort to meet with us.

“The idea of appointing the Sultan of Sokoto as a mediator between us and the government is also not acceptable to us because the Sultan is not the authentic Muslim leader in Nigeria,” Qaqa said.