Jonathan: No amnesty for Boko Haram

In a show of strength, President Goodluck Jonathan Thursday defied the prospect of a terror attack coinciding with his visit to Borno and Yobe States, the epicentre of the Boko Haram insurgency, by spending the night in Maiduguri, the Borno State capital.He also seized on the occasion of his historic visit to both states to respond to the clamour from northerners for a full pardon for members of the terrorist group.
 Jonathan, who arrived in Maiduguri, from where he was ferried to Damaturu, the Yobe State capital, in a helicopter, at a town hall meeting with traditional rulers and opinion leaders, ruled out amnesty for now for Boko Haram members, who have killed well over 3,000 people since 2009 when they began their terror campaign.He said inasmuch as his administration was desirous of ending the state of insecurity foisted on the nation by Boko Haram, it was not ready to give official pardon to “ghosts”.As if to buttress his point, gunmen suspected to be Boko Haram members killed another eight persons in Shekar-Madaki in the suburb of Kumbotso Local Government Area of Kano State.
However, the clamour for amnesty for the Boko Haram members, championed by the Sultan of Sokoto, Alhaji Sa’ad Abubakar III, and a committee set up by the Northern States Governors’ Forum (NSGF), has continued to draw flak from other interest groups in the country.A member of the House of Representatives, Hon Bitrus Kaze, representing Jos South/Jos East Federal Constituency of Plateau State and two traditional rulers from the Niger Delta rejected the sultan’s proposal advocating amnesty for the insurgents.The president told the gathering in Damaturu that the Federal Government would not consider amnesty for the insurgents until they come out from the shadows.“We cannot talk about amnesty with the Boko Haram now until you see the people you are dealing with.“Some people are comparing Boko Haram with the Niger Delta. But in the Niger Delta if you call them (militants), they will come out. But the Boko Haram members don't and we can't grant amnesty to ghosts,” he said.

I totally agree with the president on this since our security apparatus has not been able to deal with the insurgency