Why FG Will Not Celebrate Shekau’s Death - Maku

 

                The Minister of Information, Labaran Maku, has hinted that the Federal Government will not celebrate the death of the leader of the Boko Haram terrorists’ group, Abubakar Shekau.

Speaking to Punch on Wednesday in Abuja, the minister said the Federal Government would instead celebrate the laying down of arms by Boko Haram members, saying that has been the crux of the fight against insurgency.
Maku, who made the disclosure after the weekly Federal Executive Council meeting, further hinted that the government was not interested in celebrating the death of any terrorists.

“The Federal Government would be happier if the Boko Haram leader and his group laid down their weapons and embraced peace,” Maku said.

The minister, while differentiating the government from the sect, explained that the FG has a responsibility to respect human rights, unlike members of the Boko Haram sect who have thrown away all the sympathy for human lives and are prepared to kill people just for the sake of killing.

“For us it is immaterial if the leader of the terrorist group is killed or not. We want them to drop their weapons and embrace peace. We want them to drop their weapons, stop killing their parents and innocent people and accept peace,” he said.

Meanwhile, on September 17, 2014, the Nigerian military said it killed a man featuring in the group’s recent propaganda videos, pretending to be its deceased leader Abubakar Shekau.
It would be recalled that concerned groups and citizens have initially argued on the proposed amnesty the Federal Government agree to offer the Boko Haram group, which the sect members continually ignored.
However, the most recent of such calls came from the traditional rulers in Bayelsa State are appealing to the sect to sheathe their swords and embrace amnesty like the former militants of the Niger Delta region did.