Wednesday, May 18, 2011

Nigeria: Governor-Elect Offers Amnesty To Murderous Islamic Jihadists

From Jihad Watch:


Nigeria: Governor-elect offers amnesty to murderous Islamic jihadists







Why not? They're so forgiving to everyone else. "Amnesty offered for Nigerian Islamists blamed for attacks," by Aminu Abubakar for AFP, May 11:



KANO, Nigeria — The governor-elect of a Nigerian state said Wednesday he would push for an amnesty deal with an Islamist sect blamed for scores of attacks in a bid to end unrest in the country's northeast.

The sect known as Boko Haram, which has pushed for the creation of an Islamic state, has been blamed for shootings of police and community leaders, poll-related bomb blasts, and raids on churches, police stations and a prison.



It also launched an uprising in 2009 put down by a brutal military assault that left hundreds dead.



"They have taken up arms against the state and they are blamed for a series of killings which are treasonable offences," Kashim Shettima, elected governor of Borno state last month and due to take office May 29, told AFP.



"But my government will offer them amnesty as long as they lay down their arms and embrace peace." [...]



Some analysts say underlying issues such as poverty and unemployment that have yet to be addressed will eventually lead to a new crop of militants.



Many of the same issues are believed to have led to the growth of the Islamist sect in the north.



"The two groups might be different in many respects, but the same strategy could be applied in both cases," Shettima said.





Never mind that study after study has shown that jihadists aren't motivated by poverty and unemployment, and are in fact generally wealthier than their peers.



But someone claiming to be a sect spokesman, identifying himself as Abu Darda on the Hausa-language service of the BBC, ruled out an amnesty.

"We don't need amnesty from anybody. We are fighting for the enthronement of an Islamic State. We have gone beyond the stage of dialogue and negotiation with government," he said.



"We have one condition: abolition of the secular constitution and its replacement with Islamic sharia law for us to lay down our arms."



Posted by Robert on May 12, 2011 7:49 AM

No comments:

Post a Comment