Maiduguri—Two
factions of the Boko Haram insurgency group are ready for talks with the
Federal Government, Abdulkadir Abubakar, a former commander of the group, has
claimed.
Abubakar, also known as Abu Muhammad, was the chief intelligence
officer of the Boko Haram group and one of its top commanders, until his arrest
in June by the military in Buni Yadi in Gujba Local Government area of Yobe
State.
Abubakar said at his cell in Maiduguri that Albarnawi and Mamman Nur
factions of Boko Haram were willing to dialogue and cooperate with the
government to defeat the most visible leader of the group, Abubakar Shekau.
Abubakar
revealed deep divisions and power struggle among the insurgents, claiming the
Albarnawi and Mamman Nur factions were opposed to Shekau’s leadership style and
bloodthirstiness.
According to him, Shekau, whose capture, dead or alive, the
military high command has ordered, has been the major obstacle to peace, since
the insurgency began in 2009.
“Shekau is not willing to surrender due to his
high handedness. Unfortunately, the government and military authorities
accorded priority to dealing with Shekau, who is blood thirsty. “Albarnawi has
indicated interest to dialogue with the government to end insurgency and
provide a lasting solution to the crisis. Albarnawi discusses this with members
of his circle.
And I can assure the government that he would cooperate to
achieve peace. “The two factions are willing to cooperate with Nigerian
Government to defeat Shekau,” he said.
Abubakar’s claim about the readiness of
the factions to dialogue with the Nigerian authorities could not be verified as
he had been incarcerated since June. But he insisted that the groups are
predisposed to a peaceful resolution of the eight year-old crisis.
Abubakar
claimed to have undertaken various espionage missions and provided intelligence
to the insurgents, which enabled them to hit a long list of targets, among
which were the abduction of 275 students at Government Girls Secondary School,
Chibok and the massacre of students at Federal Government College, Buni Yadi.
Over 20 students were murdered at Buni Yadi. He also claimed to have been
involved in other attacks on schools in Maiduguri, Damaturu, Postikum and
Mamudo. The detained Boko Haram commander expressed his willingness to give the
military useful information to crush the insurgents and arrest Shekau.
“I am
cooperating with the military and I am ready to provide information on the
whereabouts of Shekau. Shekau has left his enclave in Sambisa and moved deep
into Mandara Mountain. I know the area where he is hiding and willing to
provide a guide to the military.
“The intensified military offensive has
weakened Shekau’s position and that of the other groups,” he added. Tired of
Shekau’s bloodthirstiness He also blamed Shekau for many attacks on civilians by
the Boko Haram insurgents.
“During the early days of the insurgency we fought
for what we thought was a just cause, to establish a caliphate where human
beings are valued, cherished and respected. “After annexing vast territories,
Shekau began to demonstrate his cruelty and atrocities against humanity.
“In
view of the high level atrocities committed by the group, some of the top
commanders including myself, Albarnawi and Mamman Nur challenged Shekau,
demanding an immediate end to the ugly saga. “Thereafter, Albarnawi and Mamman
Nur parted ways, and formed their groups. Shekau is responsible for suicide
bombings and attack on soft targets in the North-East.
“The Albarnawi and
Mamman Nur groups never attacked schools, religious places of worship, markets,
women and children. Our fight was strictly with security forces. Even the
kidnapped oil workers would not be killed by the group,” he said. According to
him, both Mamman Nur and AlBarnawi opposed the abduction of the Chibok school
girls, women and children.
“Shekau is fond of using the girls and other
abducted women as sex toys, and suicide bombers. He kills on the pretence of
punishing for lies, theft, and rebellion.
Shekau kills without justification.
“Shekau arrogated to himself the powers to accuse, prosecute, convict and
punish in total contradiction to Islamic teachings. Children and women also
starved to death in Sambisa due to Shekau’s cruelty,” he said.
Another
commander surrenders In an interview at a military facility for the repentant
and surrendered Boko Haram members in the North-East, ex-terrorist leader,
Auwal Ismaeela, said he regretted the atrocities he was forced to commit
against humanity. The Commander, Auwal Ismaeela, is currently cooperating with
the Nigerian Military with useful information on locations and hideouts of
other top Commanders of the deadly sect.
He regretted his actions as according
to him, they run counter to several Islamic injunctions. Ismaeela encouraged
other top commanders of the sect to give up and surrender to the military. The
Commander said: “Myself and Abu Hafsat, a Boko Haram commander, led other
squads to abduct the Chibok girls. “We led the operations to invade Gwoza,
Bama, Limankara mobile barrack, Bita, Bosso, Madagali, Chibok, Pulka, Firgi,
and Mubi.
“In Madagali which was my home town, myself, Adam Vitiri, Abu Adam
and Habu Kudama and some high ranking Boko Haram Commanders, led an operation
in 2014 where we killed some students and youths at the Central Secondary
School in Sabon Garin Madagali. “In one of the operations, I abducted my wife
named Maryam who had two kids for me in Sambisa Forest.
“It is unfortunate that
I was brainwashed and misled not only on some abductions but in the killings of
my own people that were innocent. I wholeheartedly regret my actions.
“During a
battle in Konduga, where myself and other Boko Haram commanders led the
operations, I lost my right leg and almost got burnt. Even at that, I did not
stop fighting for the course. Sheikh Shekau ordered that I should be given a
tricycle which I continued to use for various operations before I eventually
surrendered.
” He gave several reasons for his decision to voluntarily surrender
to the Nigerian troops after realizing the misleading sermons, barbaric
indoctrination of the sect leaders and atrocities being committed in some of
the Boko Haram camps.
Tired of senseless killings He said: “I willingly
surrendered to the military because I was tired of the senseless killing and
fight. I realized that our people have resorted to stealing and all sorts of
atrocity contrary to the teaching and practice of Islam.
“Women were being
raped, sometimes publicly. Children died from malnutrition and disease as the
living condition became harsher. As there was no food in the camp, people died
every day because of hunger.”
