Politics
Boko Haram: Beyond The Amnesty Rejection
The Boko Haram insurgence in Nigeria is gradually but steadily taking its toll. From when the sect made itself known in the mid nineties, to when it started bombings in the late nineties, the group has no doubt proved to be second to none in terms of wanton destruction of human lives and properties.
It has murdered in cold blood an estimated 3000 people, including helpless women, children and the aged. Some of the sect’s victims were foreigners.
How to end these senseless and gruesome killings has been a thorn in the flesh of the Federal Government, a situation which compelled the Presidency to reluctantly accept to grant members of the sect amnesty.
President Goodluck Jonathan came under intense pressure over the amensty issue with politicians from the violence-torn north, including Nigeria’s highest Muslim spiritual figure, the Sultan of Sokoto, Mohammed Sa’ad Abubakar III, calling for the amnesty.
The initial response from the President was that the shadowy group remains faceless, hence amnesty could not be granted to ghosts. Members of the sect obviously saw being declared a ghost as a slight, saying that even if they are ghosts, the ghost is real and continues to haunt Nigeria with devastating effects.
At the end, the Federal Government declared amnesty for the terrorist Islamist group, only to be stunned last Thursday by the declaration of their perceived leader, Abubakar Shekau, that the group was not interested in the offer of amnesty.
In rejecting the offer via a recording translated by AFP, a voice believed to be that of Shekau, said “Surprisingly, the Nigerian government is talking about granting us amnesty. What wrong have we done? It is we that should grant you Federal Government pardon for your atrocities against us.”
It will be recalled that Boko Haram had rejected a similar amnesty offer in 2011 from Kashim Shettima, then governor-elect of Borno state, on the grounds that the group did not recognise the Nigerian constitution, that it recognises only the laws of Allah.
This latest rejection, against the background of the numerous mindless killings and terror unleashed by the group on innocent citizens, has widely been seen as an act of condemnable and unacceptable brigandage and blustering, that needs to be put under check promptly.
There is no doubt that, for no cognisable reason, Boko Haram has visited untold agony on the body and soul of Nigeria, and currently threatens the nation’s life. But their rejection of the amnesty amounts to an outright provocation and an insult on the collective sensibility of Nigerians.
It is proof that Boko Haram is unrepentant and incorrigible in its wrong-doing. It, therefore, behoves those who clamoured and pressured the President to grant the amnesty to bring pressure to bear on the sect to accept the amnesty or face the wrath of the law against terrorism.
On its own, the act is an insight into the level of levity with which members of Boko Haram trivialises their despicable criminality. Placed side-by-side with the aspirations of Nigeria’s leadership to keep as one the country’s multi-lingual, traditional and socio-cultural entities, the sect seem to have not only esoterically but unequivocally called off the bluff of the government, as it were, but has also challenged the government to do its worst.
To say the least, it underscores the hidden agenda of the group to disrupt governance and ultimately destabilize the country.
When compared with the ultimatum given the then Niger Delta militants to either accept the amnesty or face the full might of the Federal Government, President Jonathan may at this point need to bite the bullet and face down the terrorists, even as he keeps all windows of opportunity for dialogue open.
This is in appreciation of the idea behind the amnesty programme, which was mooted to encourage the group to halt the on-going insurgency and save the country and Nigerians the recurring agony of insecurity that has virtually taken over the north, and threatening the rest of the country.
Beyond this, the act has also called to serious question the sincerity and respect of the acclaimed Nigeria’s highest Muslim spiritual figure, the Sultan of Sokoto, Mohammed Sa’ad Abubakar III in his call for amnesty. It also calls to question, the role northerners, particularly respected leaders among them, should play to end the insurgency.
Though they have not given reason for backing out of the amnesty, however justified their grievances may be, it is unacceptable for them to reject dialogue. The only deducible reason is ignorance about their ability to achieve their goals through violence.
This ignorance is thus what the northern leadership should focus on before any further consideration of amnesty can conveniently take place. While this is going on, the possibility of constitutionally using the Federal might should not be ruled out as it could be the only way to instill necessary discipline and orderliness in Nigeria’s body polity.
The Senate yesterday urged President Bola Tinubu to remove the Registrar-General of the Corporate Affairs Commission, Hussaini Magaji, over what lawmakers described as a persistent refusal to appear before its Committee on Finance.
The resolution followed a motion raised by Senator Orji Uzor Kalu during a session where members of the President’s economic team were present for engagement with the committee.
Tension rose at the commencement of the meeting when agency heads were introduced and senators observed the absence of the CAC Registrar-General, who had been invited to account for the commission’s activities, particularly on revenue matters.
Moving the motion, Kalu expressed anger over what he termed repeated disregard for legislative oversight, accusing the CAC boss of consistently avoiding invitations to appear before the committee.
He said, “Since I came to the Senate, this CAC man has always given excuses that he is in the Villa or going to London. He is not above the law. This man is not coming to the Senate. Look at the ministers of finance and budget. They are both here. We summoned them and they came.
“But this man thinks he’s bigger than the Senate. We’re not going to take that rubbish again. He had refused on so many occasions to honour our invitation to appear before this committee. We have issues with the reconciliation of the revenue of CAC.
“I move a motion that the man should be reported to Mr President and ask for immediate removal because we cannot continue with him. Is that what we’re doing here? He should come and give us an account of what he had done.”
The Chairman of the Senate Committee on Finance, Senator Sani Musa, corroborated the concerns, pointing to unresolved discrepancies in the reconciliation of the commission’s revenues.
He noted that despite several invitations, the registrar-general had failed to show up to address the issues raised by senators.
“The registrar-general of the Corporate Affairs Commission has refused on so many occasions to honour the calls, invitations or summons of this most important committee.
“There are only about three committees that are in the constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria and the Committee of Finance is one of those committees. Sections 88, and 89 have given us these powers.
“And as registrar-general, we have issues with the reconciliation of their revenue. Anytime he is invited, he will give us one reason or another, and he will send junior officers to come and talk to the Senate. That cannot be accepted,” he said.
In a further show of frustration, Senator Adams Oshiomhole proposed that the Senate escalate the matter by withholding approval of the CAC’s 2026 budget pending the registrar-general’s personal appearance before the committee.
Oshiomhole also suggested that the commission be restrained from spending its internally generated revenue without prior approval of the national assembly.
“This senate should decline to appropriate anything in the 2026 budget until we are satisfied that he has accounted for previous money and spending properly.
“And should he spend money that is not appropriated, he should be heading to Kuje prison,” Oshiomhole said.
The motion urging the President to remove the CAC Registrar-General was subsequently put to a voice vote and adopted.
The development underscores renewed assertiveness by the Senate in exercising its constitutional oversight functions, particularly over revenue-generating agencies.
The Corporate Affairs Commission, which regulates companies and business registrations in Nigeria, is a key contributor to non-oil revenue, making accountability and transparency central to its operations.
President Bola Tinubu has appealed to the leadership of the 10th Senate to amend the constitution to provide a legal framework for the establishment of State Police to tackle insecurity nationwide.
President Tinubu made the appeal during an interfaith breakfast with senators at the Presidential Villa in Abuja, yesterday.
The president said that the creation of State Police has become urgent to address Nigeria’s evolving security challenges, strengthen grassroots policing, and enhance states’ capacity to respond swiftly to threats within their jurisdictions.
He noted that a decentralised policing structure would complement existing federal security architecture and promote intelligence-led, community-focused law enforcement.
“We are facing terrorism, banditry, and insurgency. But we will never fail to make a right response to this cause. What I will ask for tonight is for you (Senators) to start thinking how best to amend the constitution to incorporate the State Police for us to secure our country, take over our forests from marauders, and free our children from fear,” he said.
The president commended the cordial relationship between the Executive and the Senate, saying that unity is needed to defeat terrorism and banditry in the country.
“It is a good thing that we are working in harmony, we are looking forward to a country that evolves, a country that takes care of its citizens and protects all.
Tinubu thanked the Senate for its unflinching support towards achieving various economic reforms of his administration, especially the fuel subsidy removal and tax reform policy.
“I have a lot of credit for bold reforms. Without your collaboration and inspiration, those reforms would not be possible. We are reformists together. What we gave up and what we stopped is monumental corruption in the subsidy system. We don’t want to participate in monumental corruption and arbitrage foreign exchange.
You don’t have to chase me for dollars; you could see what Nigeria is today. You should be proud, and I am glad you are. What we are enjoying is a stable economy, and prosperity is beckoning us. We need to work hard, and this attendance means a lot to me,” the president said.
President of the Senate, Godswill Akpabio, commended the president for hosting the leadership of the Senate to the Interfaith breaking of fast.
He commended President Tinubu for providing the visionary leadership the nation needs at this critical time, stating that the administration’s bold reforms have now brought more revenue to governors at the sub-national level for the development of critical infrastructure.
The Senate President prayed for the administration, and for the nation’s peace and prosperity.
Alhaji Mohammed Kasim, the candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), has won the Gwagwalada Area Council chairmanship election in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT).
Philip Akpeni, the Returning Officer of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), announced the results on Sunday morning.
Alhaji Kasim polled 22,165 votes to defeat Alhaji Yahaya Shehu of the All Progressives Congress (APC), who polled 17,788 votes.
Alhaji Biko Umar of the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA) scored 1, 687 to come in third place.
“I am the returning officer for the 2026 FCT Area Council, Gwagwalada chairmanship held on Feb. 21, 2026,” Akpeni said.
“That Mohammed Kasim of PDP, having certified the requirements of the law, is hereby declared the winner and is returned elected.”
In the Abuja Municipal Area Council (AMAC), Hon. Christopher Maikalangu, the APC candidate, was declared the winner of the chairmanship poll with 40,295 votes.
Andrew Abue, the Collation Officer for AMAC, said Hon. Maikalangu, who is the incumbent AMAC chairman, was returned elected having scored the highest number of votes cast.
The African Democratic Congress (ADC) came second with 12,109 votes, while the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) polled 3,398 votes.
According to Abue, the total number of valid votes in the chairmanship poll was 62,861, while the total votes cast stood at 65,197.
He added that the number of registered voters in AMAC was 837,338, while the total number of accredited voters was 65,676.
Meanwhile, the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has declared Mr. Joshua Ishaku of the All Progressives Congress (APC) as the winner of the Bwari Area Council Chairmanship election.
Announcing the result on Sunday in Bwari, the Returning Officer for the election, Prof. Mohammed Nurudeen, stated that Ishaku polled a total of 18,466 votes to emerge victorious in the February 21, 2026 poll.
“I am the Returning Officer for the 2026 FCT Area Council, Bwari chairmanship held on Feb. 21, 2026. That Joshua Ishaku, having satisfied the requirements of the law, is hereby declared the winner and is returned elected,” Nurudeen said.
According to the results declared, the candidate of the African Democratic Congress (ADC) secured 4,254 votes, while the Zenith Labour Party (ZLP) polled 3,515 votes to place second and third respectively.
The declaration adds to the series of results emerging from the 2026 FCT Area Council elections, as political parties assess their performance ahead of future contests.
INEC UPLOADS 2,602 OF 2,822 FCT CHAIRMANSHIP RESULTS ON IReV
The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) had uploaded 2,602 out of the 2,822 expected polling unit results from Saturday’s chairmanship elections in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) as at 5:55am on Sunday, data retrieved from its Result Viewing Portal (IReV) showed.
According to The Tide source, the figure represents an overall upload rate of about 92.2 per cent across the six area councils of the territory.
A council-by-council breakdown indicates that Municipal Area Council recorded the highest number of submissions in absolute terms, with 1,309 of 1,401 polling unit results uploaded, representing 93.43 per cent.
In Gwagwalada Area Council, 330 of the expected 338 polling unit results had been uploaded, representing 97.63 per cent — the highest upload rate among the six councils.
In Bwari Area Council, INEC uploaded 463 of 485 polling unit results, translating to 95.46 per cent.
In Abaji Area Council, 129 of 135 polling unit results had been uploaded as at 5:55am, representing 95.56 per cent.
In Kwali Area Council, 164 of the expected 201 polling unit results were available on the portal, representing 81.59 per cent.
In Kuje Area Council, 207 of 262 polling unit results had been uploaded, representing 79.01 per cent — the lowest rate among the six councils as at the time of review.
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