The Arch Bishop of Abuja Diocese Cardinal John Onaiyekan has said the eligibility of the Boko Haram sects for amnesty as canvassed by the Northern traditional rulers must first fulfil two conditions; repentance and amendment for their actions.
Traditional rulers, led by the Sultan of Sokoto, Muhammadu Sa’ad Abubakar III as well as elders from the north have insisted that amnesty should be given to the Boko haram sect.
However, Cardinal Onaiyekan, in his Easter sermon, titled “God’s Mercy and Human Pardon” said before the sect are become eligible for any amnesty, they must at least admit that they were wrong to be killing innocent people, regardless of what their grievances maybe.
He said if such was not done, they could well continue to feel that they did the right thing and perhaps, it is the rest of us who ought to beg them for pardon.
Onaiyekan who hailed the Sultan of Sokoto for ensuring that the window of dialogue remains open as a way out of the quagmire, also said issues of bad governance, poverty and corruption should be tackled as a way of addressing the problem.
He said while it is impossible to bring back those who have been killed at least a gesture of repentance and apology goes a long way to assuage the sorrow, the hurt and wounds of those who have been gravely hurt and bereaved.
He also picked holes in the State pardon given to former governor of Bayelsa State, Chief Deprieye Alamieyeseigha and former Managing Director of Bank of the North, Shettima Bulama stressing that its sends a wrong signal of a nation struggling to battle corruption.
The underscored the anger in the land over the spate of corruption in the country.
He said “The Boko Haram may claim to have all kinds of grievances. But the fact is that they have killed innocent people. How does the state forgive murderers? How can the government grant amnesty to people who have killed innocent citizens, some in their places of worship?
“The pardon to politicians who have been convicted of criminal misuse of power and massive corruption raises the issue whether the State should pardon someone who has stolen public funds, our money.
“Obviously, the State must handle very carefully whatever powers it has to forgive criminals otherwise, the whole structure of law and order in the society will be seriously compromised.
“There may be political considerations but these cannot be allowed to overthrow moral imperatives.
“This does not mean that the State cannot forgive moral wrong doing. It has been done in other countries that claim high level of democratic culture. But it seems to me that in order to do this, there must be at least two conditions, namely genuine repentance and a sincere effort to make amendments as far as possible.
“Let us see how this applies to the two cases under discussion.
As regards the case of an offer of amnesty to the Boko Haram I believe that we should not throw away outright the consideration of such amnesty.
Faced with an intractable problem, we have to explore all possible avenues of solution.
“The security response in terms of arms, gadgets and trained personnel is useful and necessary, but obviously not enough on its own.
“Government does well to reach out to all political forces and currents, so that the nation can be on the same political page and jointly address this common menace, which terrorism is.
“The issue of poverty and unemployment, which is cited as an excuse, needs to be addressed – and this boils down to the critical issue of good governance, at all levels, Federal, state and local government.
The growing danger of community polarization gradually tearing the nation apart must be urgently and effectively tackled, on both the ethnic and religious bases. Here comes the important role of traditional and religious leaders.
“And finally, and most important of all, all these have to go together and government must take on the duty and responsibility to encourage and coordinate such initiatives, to ensure maximum overall effectiveness.
“Under such an atmosphere of common efforts, the call for amnesty would seem to me quite appropriate and even necessary. I therefore see the call of the Sultan as an invitation to further discussion and dialogue among Nigerians to sharpen the focus of government action in this matter. That discussion has started, for which we should thank the Sultan and his courageous proposal.
“In every conflict, a time comes when dialogue and talking must be brought into the equation, in view of final solution. It would seem that for Boko Haram, that time has come.
“But before the Boko Haram can be seriously considered for amnesty, they must meet the two conditions mentioned earlier for forgiveness, namely repentance and amendment.
“Before they are eligible for any amnesty, they must at least admit that they were wrong to be killing innocent people, whatever may have been their grievances. If this is not done, they could well continue to feel that they did the right thing and perhaps, it is the rest of us who ought to beg them for pardon.
“As for amendment, it is impossible to bring back those who have been killed. But at least a gesture of repentance and apology goes a long way to assuage the sorrow, the hurt and wounds of those who have been gravely hurt and bereaved.
“The modalities of how, in practical terms, the conditions of repentance and amendment are to be met can itself be a matter for discussion and dialogue. In such a dialogue, government would be well advised to involve the right kind of people, across the board. It should certainly include religious leaders.
“Furthermore, we need not wait for every terrorist to surrender before engaging those who are ready to repent and reconcile.
“As for pardoning people with cases of corruption on their heads, again, there ought to be some form of repentance which should be clear to everyone.
“Furthermore, a sincere effort must be made to pay back as much as possible of what has been stolen. It is alleged that a lot of the stolen money is not lost. It is said to be somewhere invested in one way or the other.
“That money belongs to the Nigerian people and it must be given back to them. How this will be done should be part of the conditions that would have to be worked out in the process for pardon.
“Whatever government decides to do in this matter, it must not forget that the issue of massive corruption in high places is of major concern to Nigerians. Much has been said about fighting corruption.
“But people are fast losing confidence in the sincerity of government to turn the tide. Pardon for high profile corruption cases will certainly reduce further whatever is left of the confidence of the people.
“This has serious political and social fall-out that government cannot afford to ignore. We must tell the truth that anger is mounting in the land, especially among the youth whose patience is running out. The clock of social tension is dangerously ticking towards explosion.
“The nation is in danger. What is needed are clear and visible gestures of reassurance that a real change and genuine transformation for the better has started.”