UPDATE: Chibok Girls Coming Home [See More]

The federal gov­ernment yester­day announced a cease fire in its war against the Is­lamist terror group, Boko Haram, to give room for negotiation.

Chief of Defence Staff(CDS), Air Chief Marshall Alex Badeh, made this known at the closing of a three day con­ference on Nigeria-Camer­oon Trans-border military operations held in Abuja.

Badeh, in his address at the occasion, said “With­out any prejudice to the outcome of our three days interactions and the con­clusions of this forum, I wish to inform this audi­ence that a ceasefire agree­ment has been concluded between the Federal Gov­ernment of Nigeria and the Ahlul Sunna Li Daawa Wal Jihad (Boko Haram.)

As a result, the CDS said “I have accordingly directed, the service Chiefs to ensure immediate com­pliance with this develop­ment in the field”.

Also at a media briefing in Abuja,the Coordinator of National Information Centre, Mr Mike Omeri, said there was no condi­tion attached to the peace deal from Boko Haram.

Omeri, while noting that government has made con­tacts with representatives of Boko Haram sect, said “the discussions are essen­tially in relation to the gen­eral insecurity in the north east and also the need to rescue all captives of the terrorists, including the students of Government Girls Secondary School, Chibok.”

He said “from the dis­cussions, they indicated their desire for and will­ingness to discuss and re­solve all associated issues. They also assured that the school girls and all other people in their captivity are all alive and well.

According to him, “Al­ready, the terrorists have announced a ceasefire in furtherance of their desire for peace. In this regard, the government of Nigeria has, in similar vein, de­clared a ceasefire.

“Finally, this is to as­sure Nigerians that the greater goal of this pro­cess is to ensure the return of normalcy in the land, especially in parts of the country troubled by the ac­tivities of terrorists.”

The coordinator, while noting that the President of Chad, General Idriss Deby was the one facilitating the ceasefire deal, however re­fused to mention the iden­tity of those negotiating on behalf of the federal gov­ernment, but said the sect leader, Danladi Amodu was leading the group in the peace arrangement.

Answering reporters questions on why past dialogue with the sect had failed, the Director of De­fence Information, Major General Chris Olukolade, said such had never been confirmed by the govern­ment, as all of them were still within the realm of ‘hearsay’.

He said: “This time, this is being facilitated by gov­ernment, so it is not just the sect, and I want to say that, I think people are not correct to say that, there has been similar thing be­fore. The previous one is just a speculation, and it has never officially been endorsed anywhere.”

Meanwhile, the peace deal has elicited ,jubila­tion in Adamawa, especial­ly among thousands of vic­tims and displaced persons that are now taking refuge in Yola, the state capital. 

A number of the victims who spoke with Saturday Sun described the devel­opment as a cheery news to them as they have been nostalgic of what is hap­pening to their ancestral homes adding that they are eager to continue with their normal traditional life.

One of them, Mr Tizhe, who narrowly escaped to Yola from Michika along with eight of his family members,said the news is a good one as he and his family had been constitut­ing inconveniences to their host relatives,who,though have been their brothers’ keepers,but felt that over dependence on relatives for livelihood is increas­ingly proving burdensome.

Others who spoke with Saturday Sun at Vunoklang ,a suburb of Yola,declared that while they were anx­ious to go back to Gulak, Madagali, Michika and Gwoza,it is only wise for them to critically study the situation and the emerg­ing development as they feared that their joy be short lived.

Joseph Boniface ,who corroborated what others have said,maintained it is dicey for them to start go­ing back to their places of abode when they are still nursing their wounds and the trauma that they had gone through before es­caping to Yola.

According him,he had lost seven sons and an uncle to the Boko Haram onslaught ,and that there might be pockets of insur­gents in some hideouts in their localities,hence the fear to go back to their places of abode.

Mr Vandi, said while it is a welcome develop­ment, government should give the victims,who are virtually going to start life afresh assurance of their safety because of the trau­ma they had gone through.

Investigation by Satur­day Sun reveals that no less than 250,000 persons are presently taking refuge in the displaced peoples’ camps in Yola, Mubi and other villages in Adama­wa State. Apart from the victims in camps,there are those in churches, private schools and mission hous­es within Yola,the state capital and Mubi.

The Boko Haram in­surgency has festered for years in three North East­ern states of Borno, Yobe and Adamawa but started getting serious global at­tention six months ago following the abduction of over 200 schoolgirls from the Government Second­ary School, Chibok, Borno state on April 14.