From Victor Osula, Abuja
Former President, Goodluck Jonathan, has said the Boko Haram insurgency is “far more complex” than often portrayed, noting that even his successor, the late President Muhammadu Buhari, could not defeat the group despite being once nominated by the insurgents as their preferred negotiator.
Jonathan made the disclosure on Friday in Abuja, during the public presentation of Scars, a book written by former Chief of Defence Staff, Gen. Lucky Irabor (retd.).
The former President said his administration had set up several committees to explore dialogue with the insurgents, and in one instance, the group picked Buhari as their preferred negotiator.
“One of the committees we set up then, the Boko Haram nominated Buhari to lead their team to negotiate with the government. So I was feeling that, oh, if they nominated Buhari to represent them and have a discussion with the government committee, then when Buhari took over, it could have been an easy way to negotiate with them, and they would have handed over their guns. But it was still there till today”, Jonathan said.
Jonathan noted that Buhari’s eventual struggle to defeat Boko Haram during his tenure showed that the insurgency was “far more complex” than often portrayed.
According to him, Boko Haram’s roots and operations cannot be captured by a single narrative, stressing the need for a broader and unconventional approach.
“If you conduct research and interview many people, you will only get part of the story, but never the full story of Boko Haram. I was there. Boko Haram started in 2009 when I was vice president. I took over in 2010 and spent five years battling the insurgency until I left office. I thought that after I left, within a reasonable time, General Buhari would wipe them out. But even today, Boko Haram is still there. The issue of Boko Haram is far more complex than it is often presented.
“So, it’s a bit complex, and not a matter of a single story. But I believe, as a nation, we have to look at the Boko Haram issue differently from the conventional approach. I believe one day we’ll overcome it”, he said.
Jonathan also commended Irabor for documenting his experiences in Scars, urging other military officers who participated in counterinsurgency operations to provide their own accounts to enrich the historical record.
“Once again, let me thank General Irabor for this, because I always appreciate people who document events clearly. That way, when we write our own accounts, we can borrow from such documentation. I also believe that all the military officers involved in the Boko Haram saga should provide information about what the group truly stood for”, he charged.
