n an exclusive email forwarded to the mail box of DESERT HERALD, leadership of the radical Islamic sect, Ahl As-sunnah wa Aljama’a Ala Minhaj As-Salaf popularly referred to as Boko Haram which claimed responsibility of several targeted killings and bombings including the one in the Police headquarters said “we have resolved to temporarily halt our fight against the assassins of our leaders in compliance with the prohibition of fighting in the holy month of Ramadan”.
If the content of the email is anything to go by the current effort by the federal government to dialogue with the sect members in which the approach has been criticised by many keen observers of the Boko Haram activities as lacking in essential ingredients to attract and win the confidence of the highly skeptical sect members then the hope of containing the uprising is very far from over.
In the press release members of the ‘Boko Haram’ said in view of wide misunderstanding of their mission and clear target and the use of their name by unscrupulous groups to settle scours “it has become necessary for us to come public with the clear truth with regards to our concept, struggle, aim and ultimate objective.
“It is hoped that this declaration would guide the public in sifting the grains from the chaff: in distinguishing our movement from the various labels ascribed to us - Boko Haram, Ahlil Jihad, etc”.
The press release said “this is necessary in the light of genuine concern by individuals and groups to the mass suffering of innocent citizens caught in the cross fire between our members and the Nigerian troops.
“This concern has again brought to the fore, the daunting issue of reconciliation through dialogue with the Nigerian authorities and individual leaders involved in the naked abuse of our birth right to the peaceful propagation and practice of our religion as we understand it”.
They said attempts by government to stop them from practising their religion as they understand it is what “led to the slaughter of several of our members including our revered leader, Sheikh Muhammad Yusuf and the destruction and confiscation of our properties; landed and moveable”.
On this the sect said “we resolved to wage a struggle between justice and injustice, between truth and falsehood, right against wrong in which we are sure of victory”.
Boko Haram in the press release denied other allegations against them and said the “public must know that we are far from the image of the heartless terrorists, arsonists or sadistic robbers painted by other people with a distinct agenda”.
They insisted that they are “rather a cultured people with a clear mission and deep compassion for fellow human beings as taught by the Prophet and expounded by our slain leader, Muhammad Yusuf”.
While quoting a verse in the holy Qur’an, the dreaded sect which now symbolises terror in the hearts of many said “Allah (SWA) in Surah 60 Verse 8 says: Allah forbids you not with regard to those who fight you not for your faith, nor drive you out of your homes, from dealing kindly and justly with them; for Allah loves those who are just.
“Also Surah 60 Verse 9 says: Allah only forbids you with regard to those who fight you for your faith, and drive you from your homes, and support others in driving you out, from turning to them for friendship and protection. It is such as turn to them in these circumstances that are wrong”.
In doing what they are doing the sect maintained that they are “guided by the teaching of the Holy Prophet as narrated by Abu Daud that: Beware! Whoever is cruel and hard on a non-Muslim minority, or curtails their rights, or burdens them with more than they can bear, or takes anything from them against their free will, I (Prophet Muhammad) will complain against the person on the Day of Judgment”.
“Armed with this noble divine injunction”, according to the group and in reaction to the claims that they are carrying indiscriminate attacks, “it is therefore unbecoming to attribute attacks on the civilian population or places of worship to our group.
“Ours is a clear fight for the blood of our founder Muhammad Yusuf and other leaders who were slain in cold blood by Ali Modu Sheriff, the former Borno state Commissioner of Police and the dead Umaru Yar’adua. Alhamdulillah Yar’adua has since been seized by Allah in answer to our ardent prayer for support against his aggression”.
The group further said “we categorically distance our group from all the bombings targeted at civilians and other establishments and equally condemn them and pray that Allah exposes those who perpetrate them and attribute them to us”.
While explaining their belief on the position of Islam, the group said “Indiscriminate shed of blood is against the spirit of Islam and the teachings and principles of our leader Muhammad Yusuf who only enjoined us not to oppress anyone and at the same time not to allow ourselves to be oppressed.
We are concerned that some people with evil motives have infiltrated our genuine struggle with a false holy war that is outright unislamic. We call this evil group to desist failing which we shall have no option than to expose and hunt them.
DESERT HERALD findings revealed that division has begun to emerge from members of the Boko Haram sect as some of them precisely those that are carrying/in-charge of the suicide mission are putting pressure on the leadership of the group to reconcile with the government while the leadership under Imam Abubakar Shekau whose real photo image is yet to go to the media is said to be resisting such move insisting that government is not sincere in reconciliation. The source told this medium that if the government is indeed sincere it would have begun by paying full compensation to the family of late Muhammad Yusuf’s father-in-law who was allegedly killed by the Nigerian Police and whose family secured a judgement from the Court directing the government to pay the family N120 million as damages. The source also told this medium that since they have the record of the nearly two hundred people that were brutally murdered by Nigerian security forces in 2009, “the government if they are sincere should have started paying the diyya of all those that were killed as a process of confidence building. I can assure you that the situation as it is now even the willing ones among them (Boko Haram) will not risk to come forward for reconciliation with the government.
The Borno State governor wants to be too smart; removing billions in the name of settling the sect and the victims of the uprising while in reality little or virtually nothing goes to the real people. I think some selfish people are using what is happening as a conduit pipe and means of extorting money from government. Unfortunately, the federal government is confused too. For God sake what role can the so-called Borno Elders play in such situation? They don’t have the credibility. They only want to get something from the government. Now Mr. Jonathan wants to bring back General Aliyu Gusau to assist him either officially or unofficially in the imbroglio. We were told the president even visited Gusau secretly. Is it not under the same Gusau our security deteriorated to this level? Has the president forgotten the number of deaths and security crises the country went through under the so-called Spy Master? There is no magic he (Gusau) can play. What we need to overcome these challenges as a nation is sincerity and good governance and to give the sect members confidence. There is still endemic corruption in the system while restiveness is on the increase”, the source revealed.
source:sahara report
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