The news on Friday of the Federal Government striking a ceasefire deal with Boko Haram, the ruthless fundamentalists, was a breakthrough many had long waited for.

It was the first step on the journey to finding lasting peace, many believe.

From July 2009 when the group started its violent campaign till date, the group had killed over 5,000 Nigerians and destroyed property worth several billions of naira.

The group had also sacked many communities in some states in the North-East.

The transition to suicide bombings and open commando-style attacks in recent times added new dimension to the insurgency.

The abduction of over 200 schoolgirls by the Boko Haram in Chibok, a sleepy community in Borno State on April 14, 2014, remains a huge testament to how sophisticated the sect had become.

Many attempts have been made by the Federal Government to contain the activities of the sect.

A respected Nigerian Muslim cleric, Dahiru Usman Bauchi, once issued a statement saying that the Boko Haram and the Federal Government had chosen him as a peace negotiator. Boko Haram spokesman Abul Qaqa rejected the claim.

Ibrahim Datti Ahmed, a respected cleric who was acting as intermediary between Boko Haram and the Federal Government, quitted the role, accusing the government of insincerity.

Two months later, a purported deputy of Boko Haram leader Abubakar Shekau gave a radio interview in which he claimed the sect had had preliminary peace talks with Nigerian Vice-President Namadi Sambo in Saudi Arabia, only for the group to issue a statement two days later rejecting the claim and disowning him as an impostor.

The violent activities of the sect attracted global attention on April 14, 2014, after it abducted the Chibok schoolgirls. Some days after the abduction the leader of the sect, Shekau, threatened that he would sell the girls.

Appeals by stakeholders, including the United States, the United Kingdom and others could not make the terrorists to shift ground.

Nigerians, however, expressed delight on Friday when the news broke that the Federal Government and the Boko Haram sect had agreed to ceasefire. They hoped that both parties would respect the terms of the agreement.

It is the hope of [url=www..com][/url]
and lovers of peace that this ceasefire would bring a total end to the activities of insurgencies in Nigeria, our dear country and the nation that had been engrossed in hearthbreaking would once again witness peace in all ramification!

source>>>>>http://.com/2014/10/analysis-boko-haram-long-road-to-ceasefire/