The All Progressives Congress (APC) has called for an international
inquiry into the activities of the terror group Boko Haram in order to
unravel its modus operandi and sponsors as well as any individual or group
that may have links with the insurgents, with a view to ending, once and
for all, the debate over who is behind the insurgency and also to
facilitate efforts to tackle it decisively
In a statement issued in Lagos on Sunday by its National Publicity
Secretary, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, the party said the inquiry should include
intelligence experts from the US, UK, France and Canada, as well as
representatives of the UN and Nigeria’s neighbours Cameroon, Chad and
Niger.
It also said that representatives of the Nigerian military and other
security agencies, especially the police and the Departments of State
Security, Governments of the states worst-hit by the Boko Haram
insurgency, including Adamawa, Borno, Yobe, Kano, Bauchi and Jigawa, the
Federal Capital Territory, the Christian Association of Nigeria, the
Supreme Council for Islamic Affairs, Civil Society Organisations, the
Nigeria Labour Congress, the Trade Union Congress, National Human Rights
Commission, the Nigerian Bar Association and any other relevant
individuals or groups.
APC said major political parties, including the Peoples Democratic Party
and the All Progressives Congress, must be represented on the panel of
inquiry, whose findings must be made public and those found to have any
links with the insurgents be made to face the full wrath of the law.
”We hope the PDP-led federal government, which has led the incessant but
baseless campaign to point accusing fingers at the opposition, especially
our party the APC, will give its total support to the immediate
constitution of this international panel of inquiry. We have no doubt that
the international community will give its unalloyed support to this
inquiry, in view of the trans-national nature of the insurgency and the
threat posed by terrorism to global peace and security,” the party said.
APC added: ”On our part, we pledge our total support for this inquiry
anytime it is launched, but hopefully very soon. Our party, which is
barely one year old, has been at the receiving end of diversionary,
carefully-choreographed and blatantly irresponsible point-blank
accusations as well as insinuations of sponsoring Boko Haram, not minding
that the group’s activities date as far back as 2002 when there was no
APC.
”These accusations and insinuations have become so virulent and have
indeed reached a level where one begins to wonder whether those behind the
finger-pointing are actually trying to divert attention from their own
culpability and whether they have even more sinister motives for their
finger-pointing.
”Whatever their motives are, let the international inquiry we are seeking
be launched urgently and let the findings be published for all Nigerians
to see. Anyone opposed to this call for an international inquiry will have
a lot of explanations to make to Nigerians as well as to the international
community.
”Enough is enough. The daily killing, maiming and abduction of innocent
Nigerians, as a clueless Federal Government looks on, must end. The
pervasive insecurity that has crippled Nigeria since this insurgency
started must be halted. Those behind it must be unraveled and prosecuted.
Let the inquiry begin!’