Former President Olusegun Obasanjo has met with some Islamic clerics and two facilitators of dialogue with Boko Haram – in a bid to seek freedom for the 276 Chibok girls abducted by Boko Haram.
The meeting agreed on five options on how to set the girls free without firing a shot, if they are acceptable to the administration of President Goodluck Jonathan.
Obasanjo also told the team that if the Jonathan administration does not give him clearance to proceed with the talks, he would quit the mission.
The Presidency was yet to be briefed by Obasanjo as at the time of filing this report.
According to a source, who pleaded not to be named, Obasanjo met with one of the early facilitators of peace talks with Boko Haram, Comrade Shehu Sani, Alhaji Mustapha Zanna, who was the lawyer to the sect’s slain leader, Mohammed Yusuf and some Islamic clerics who have the sect confidence.
It was gathered that the meeting was held at Obasanjo’s Abeokuta, Ogun State capital home. Many visitors were barred from the mansion during the meeting, it was learnt.
Apart from being physically touched by the plight of the girls and the global outcry that greeted their abduction, Obasanjo, said the source, reportedly felt that the international backlash for the nation was not good.
A source said the ex-President expressed surprise that some members of the African Union (AU), who Nigeria had helped, took advantage of the girls’ ordeal to condemn the nation for not having the ability to liberate the girls.
Obasanjo was said to have pleaded with the Boko Haram contacts to work with him to resolve the abduction saga in the interest of the nation.
The source said: “The ex-President summoned the meeting in Abeokuta out of his love for the nation.
“Feeling somber, Obasanjo said he called for the meeting to seek alternative ways on how to free the Chibok girls.
“The ex-President sought to know the state of the girls. He repeatedly asked questions on their safety and health. The Boko Haram contacts briefed Obasanjo that Ahmed Salkida, who facilitated the crashed talks, reported to the government that the girls were being well taken care of.
“The session then tried to study how the previous talks failed at the last minute. People at the meeting who had knowledge gave Obasanjo a breakdown of what happened.”
After about 20 minutes of reviewing the talks, said the source, all the parties realised that in spite of the fact that the Federal Government agreed on the swap of the abducted girls, there was lack of trust by the government.
“The Federal Government was unsure whether or not the talks will produce results. There is therefore the need to restore the trust.
“The meeting shifted to the way forward on how to rescue the girls.
The options are to:
•restore trust between the government and Boko Haram leaders;
•explore possible ways in which Boko Haram could be engaged;
•convince Boko Haram to release the girls as a precondition before the sect’s demand for the release of their members is considered;
•possibility of handing over the girls to some Islamic clerics in trust until the government fulfils its own part of the bargain; and
•immunity for Boko Haram leaders to meet with Obasanjo and government representatives.
The source added: “Part of the discussions or the points of the meeting was that Obasanjo is working on an idea that would see the insurgents handing over the Chibok girls to their own clerics in trust.
“After that, he (Obasanjo) will then look into the possibility of considering their own demands and how to go about meeting these conditions.”
A third source claimed that Obasanjo added some caveat.
The source said: “Baba said the fresh initiative on talks with Boko Haram should be done in phases. He said he had to seek clearance from the government on whether he should wade in or not. He wants to seek a commitment on whether the Jonathan administration is prepared to walk this path or not.
“He said if the government agrees, he would meet with the Boko Haram leaders and later with government representatives, depending on the outcome of talks.
“If the government says ‘no’, Obasanjo said he would stop from mediating with Boko Haram contacts and leaders.”
But the delegation asked Obasanjo to step in quickly because “the girls are most likely to be brainwashed and they would come back as different people we know them to be”.
In what appeared a lighter part of the session in Abeokuta, Obasanjo was reportedly asked by the delegation if they should bring some of the leaders to his house. “I will prefer to talk to their representatives now until I get clearance from the Federal Government, not now.
“I will meet with the leaders after I have received necessary backing from the government,” he was quoted as replying.
Attempts to speak with any of those at the meeting were difficult as at press time.
But when our correspondent got across to Sani, he simply said: “Yes; we had a meeting in Abeokuta last Saturday, but go and find out what transpired from the ex-President.”
Asked of what was discussed, he replied jocularly: “We discussed Boko, but if you add Haram, na you sabi.”
