Obasanjo meets Boko Haram leader’s family


Former President Olusegun Obasanjo yesterday waded into the Boko Haram crisis, pleading with the family of its leader, Yusuf Mohammed, who was killed by security agents in 2009, to forgive and forget the past.

Obasanjo who arrived Maiduguri, Borno State yesterday morning met the Boko Haram leader’s relations at the family house in Bayan Quarters.

He said the visit was a personal initiative. The former president also visited the home of Baba Fugu Mohammed, Yusuf’s father in-law, who was also killed after reporting to the police during the Islamist sect’s crisis in 2009.

Obasanjo was met by the late Fugu Mohammed eldest son, Baba Kura Fugu. Sources at the meeting quoted Fugu as saying that it was the first time a high profile personality would be meeting with the family after the 2009 extra judicial killings.

Chief Obasanjo asked to be given an opportunity to mediate in the crisis, adding that if granted, he would ensure they were treated fairly and justly by the government.

He appealed to the families to forget the past and allow peace to reign again in Borno State and the nation.
The former president was received on arrival in Maiduguri by the Borno Deputy Governor, Zanna Mustapha.

http://www.sunnewsonline.com/webpages/news/national/2011/sept/16/national-16-09-2011-001.html

Typical Yoruba's method of mediation.

OBJ's method is worth it sha. Fight vs fight does not work. You need mediation and forgiveness has been  proven to  psychologically reduce anger and and to reduce the desire for revenge.

Obviously GEJ's tactic has not worked so far.

Violence and barbarism seem to really pay off good in the jungle nation Nigeria. Can that ugly baboon also apologize to the people of Odi, Zaki Biam, Massobians, Biafrans during the war he and his murderous goons wasted with bullets and bombs?

OBJ"s move is not to protect anybody but the looters, the corrupt leaders. Because sooner or later they (corrupt leaders) would have been Boko Haram target.

Please do not be a fool, do not give OBJ or our weak government any credit for this move.
The corrupt leaders are the government, it is obvious that Boko Haram has issues with the government, Therefore, sooner or later Boko haram would have shifted their attention to targeting all the leaders that have stolen from us.

OBJ is simply protecting the interest of all the corrupt leaders and not an average Nigerian.

GBAm

The more I am loving this man.

Very good initiative. Without fear.

If you look at all the other politicians North or South, none has taken up this kind of initiative for fear of their lives. Their lives which is old and can be sweep away like sands in desert. Solution driven leaders is all we need.

Salutations! OBJ!

This is a bad move, no?

How can you be asking for forgiveness from terrorists. . . ?

ekt_bear:

This is a bad move, no?

How can you be asking for forgiveness from terrorists. . . ?

You don't understand Nigeria at all. If Osama was Nigerian he'll probably still be alive. We are passive aggressive like that.

We normally resolve issues by begging and prostrating

No one will pay for the deaths on Oct 1 and no one will pay for the UN bombing, well, except for small small inconsequential scapegoats.

Welcome to Nigerian (In)Justice. If you are violent enough you can get away with anything here.

Two things that seems to work all the time in Nigeria are:
1. If you want to steal - Steal so big (Billions), so that anyone that hear it will just laugh, hail, respect and even be short of words, because he can't imagine what you want to do with all that.

2. If you want attention from government, blow up things - Ask MEND and Boko Boys

I can't applaud this move. If I do, I will be praising violence.

If all they wanted to do was kill corrupt politicians, why the need to kill other innocent folk? Why the need to bomb UN building? Is UN the nigerian government? Why the need to machete people if they don't denounce their religion and come to yours? Abegi, terrorists are terrorists. They might be saying one long thing but the fact is by their fruits, you shall know them. "Freedom fighters" who kill both their "enemies" and also the people whose freedom they're supposed to be fighting for (wey no send dem message to begin with).

There is a reason why the US does not negotiate with terrorists.

Now as to the apologizing for injustice bit, I support that one. An apology is the first right to righting a wrong.

A lot of people are foolish without knowing.

Well done sir. We all seek peace in Nigeria.

Your effort is a great one and we hope the initiative pays off fully.

I say its time MASSOB, MOSOP, change tactics and buy up weapons to wreak their own havoc. Even MEND needs to intensify its own violent operation and possibly take it to Abuja, Kaduna. Anh anh Violence is the way to go in Nigeria.

We need peace in the country.

Let try our best to get it. Nigeria is a very complicated country.

May God help us.

udezue:

I say its time MASSOB, MOSOP, change tactics and buy up weapons to wreak their own havoc. Even MEND needs to intensify its own violent operation and possibly take it to Abuja, Kaduna. Anh anh
Violence is the way to go in Nigeria.

I think it's the way of the northerners maybe that is why people like IBB,Atiku,Danjuma and Buhari have not done much to resolve the crises in the north.

some people put this move down be cause its OBJ a PDP person. If its been an ACN/CPC person, see how their mouths will change and twist to the other side praising the move. Shio.

Don't mind them,they forgot that even a supposed bad person also has his own usefulness and i'm sort of happy that baba iyabo is making peace moves in the north.shagari also is doing nothing !

I wonder how some pple can be so f.oolish n blind as not to see anything good in anything done by pple they hate.

If u think that boko guys will help u kill d corrupt politicians then u r plain silly. Around 100 pple hv died in total no major politician hv been except ones that denounced them. Security in places like Nig is structured in way that d rich n corrupt die last hence d innocent ones die more

I pray that those advocating violence in Nig from boko,MEND,MASSOB,etc will themselves lose their lives n those of their loved ones in d onslaught of these groups 'cos pple other pple like u die when these pple strike

Plutarch:

I wonder how some pple can be so f.oolish n blind as not to see anything good in anything done by pple they hate.

If u think that boko guys will help u kill d corrupt politicians then u r plain silly. Around 100 pple hv died in total no major politician hv been except ones that denounced them. Security in places like Nig is structured in way that d rich n corrupt die last hence d innocent ones die more


I pray that those advocating violence in Nig from boko,MEND,MASSOB,etc will themselves lose their lives n those of their loved ones in d onslaught of these groups 'cos pple other pple like u die when these pple strike

I think I will believe you jare.Some nigerians can be so gullibe thinking God or oyinbo will come and solve our problems for us.what will it cost boko haram to invade asokoro,bomb the whole place instead of killing innocent nigerians ? Their proposition that they are fighting corrupt politicians doesn't make sense in that direction.

Big B1:

OBJ"s move is not to protect anybody but the looters, the corrupt leaders. Because sooner or later they (corrupt leaders) would have been Boko Haram target.

Please do not be a fool, do not give OBJ or our weak government any credit for this move.
The corrupt leaders are the government, it is obvious that Boko Haram has issues with the government, Therefore, sooner or later Boko haram would have shifted their attention to targeting all the leaders that have stolen from us.

OBJ is simply protecting the interest of all the corrupt leaders and not an average Nigerian.

This fool seems to think Boko Haram are some socially crusading do gooders.


What OBJ is doing is very good, I wish him the best in this .

Gej is a mushroom. Obj must think he is settling the case of him sleeping with son:s wife,immoral pig.This is a cry of defeat from terrorists leaders who cannot handle more abrasive terrorists. And as always,when 2 elephants fights,the ground suffers. The common nigerians will be left to pick up the pieces.

This is a good move and Obj has the experience and knows the terrain.I like his way of doing such negotiations.He offers you the choice of peace and war.He is blunt to tell you this is the repercussion of rejecting a peaceful offer.In his peace dialogue where you prove harden he goes down and dirty.I mean if it means your papa ,your mama,fool @ ? and waka kinda insults. .
Honestly its a good move.He handle crisis better than GEJ. Obj maybe known for being poor in, preventing or late in stopping crisis but definitely he ends it.Which GEJ is needing now than ever.Cos he is too late,definitely not proactive in crisis handling and above all not able to stop it.
OBJ is tested and trusted because:

Civil war (battled to end it swiftly)reducing the carnage.
Jos (ethno religious crisis)
Udi  (uprising)
Katsina Ala(jukun TIV)
Kaduna(sharia riots)
Kano(religious crisis)
Lagos(OPC gani adams ethnic attacks)
ND (militants / oil bunkering power brokers)
modakeke and Ife conflicts
Borno (Taliban)

Internationally:
Liberia
sierra Leone
Congo
Zimbabwe
Angola
Sao tome

Also include others not mentioned.Abeg he has the stick and carrots to play it well.I don't like his political antecedents but i like his crisis management ways considering our current state and our peculiar situation.We must atleast first bring a halt to it before we can do anything else.GEJ has done one here or better still like some rightly said the owners of Nigeria(PDP) are trying to fix there property.

The FBI, CIA and other UN investigators seem to be getting valuable information from these Boko chaps and this is OBJ's way of trying to warm his way into their hearts and trying to stop them talking.

Politicians, we know your tricks. YOU ARE ALL GOING DOWN!!!

i honestly dont like innocent peeps dying for nothing. This initiative seems to be cool and to me commendable. One thing for sure came out from all these, The govt has agreed that they made blunders in the past by those extra-judicial killings which most likely lead to all these bombings. Boko, Abegii forgive the FG, accept it as the will of Allah and let future Innocent victims live.

Any thing that will help bring this madness to a halt is welcome.

OBJ is useless for what he did, If it had been him in presidency I know he will never do such things.

like you said, OBJ is not in government. but the move is in the right direction. this will not stop the investigation going on to unmask the sponsors of boko haram.
the patient dog eats the fattest bone,

Because we voted a Retardeen as president, OBj has now stepped in to take over presidential duties

What a Shame.

Odechukwu Retardeen is a disgrace

Bad move IMO! Other terrorist groups will now start springing up so as to be relevant too and be begged by "OBJ". I foresee a "fiercer MEND" blowing up not only the Niger-Delta, but the whole Country this time around!

smart move. well done OBJ

OBJ the strategist. Having behaved so badly while exchanging words with IBB, the fox has cleverly laundered his image
before the people who chastized him on the grounds that he should be acting in a statesman role rather than thuggery.

Obasanjo's move although we don't know If it was suggested by the president or he thought of it himself is a move in the right direction. He's an elder statesman and I'm positive he's the right person to call on for the mediation process.