A MEMBER of the House of Representatives, Dr. Rafiu Ibrahim of Kwara State, at the weekend admonished the Federal Government to set pride and ego aside and undertake whatever would lead to the immediate release of the schoolgirls abducted in Chibok, Borno State, by the Boko Haram sect to save the nation and parents of the girls further agony.
He said if it had become unavoidably necessary, the Federal Government had to negotiate with the sect to bring the ugly situation to an end. “I am one of the apostles of negotiation. We have to negotiate for the release of the girls. I do not know whether the Federal Government is doing enough or not but one thing that is clear is that there is no result yet.
“They must have done their best but their best is not bringing the desired result. So for me, we have to move either way, which is begging or negotiating with this people to bring back our daughters”.
He explained that it was not a new phenomenon to negotiate at war. “Recently, America with the best democracy and the strongest military in the world, negotiated and released five prisoners for one American. I do not know what pride or ego that is restraining Nigeria from negotiating with the Boko Haram sect. And these people are inside Nigeria and we have not been able to spot them because we believe that they have not been spotted,” he said.
Ibrahim, representing Ifelodun/Offa/Oyun Federal Constituency in Kwara State, was in Lagos for a Ramadan Kareem Symposium, themed: “Ramadan, a Global Means of Spiritual Rejuvenation”, organised by the Dowen College Muslim Community in Lekki Phase 1.
He said the situation has degenerated to begging and praying for the release of the girls. “We are just praying and begging them to release these girls because, to me as a Nigerian, it appears that it is becoming almost an impossible task for our military to bring these girls back.”
He held that the members of the sect are not Muslims. According to him, “everybody has agreed that members of the Boko Haram sect are not Muslims, because if you go through the Quran, there is nowhere violence, kidnapping or abduction is preached or permitted. Also, there is nowhere bombing is either preached or permitted, but you know that anybody that wants to do any evil in the world today has to hide under one thing or the other, including religion. If you listen to their releases, you will know that these people are not Muslims”.
Ibrahim, who was elected on the platform of Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), but now represents All Progressives Congress (APC), said he defected to the APC because of the impunity in the PDP. He believes that in 2015, the Nigerian electorate will speak.
“We have trust in INEC that the elections will be credible and I know that if Nigerians are allowed to vote without hindrance, a new leadership will emerge because this particular leadership has woefully failed the nation.”
On his part, the main lecturer at the symposium, Mr. Abdulazeez Abiodun Ajala, national coordinator of The Young Muslims Association (TYMA), said the reason for the lecture was to convey the global need for spiritual rejuvenation. “It is to use the Ramadan as a means of reviving the spirit of godliness in Muslims so that they can become better citizens and better persons in the sight of God.”
He condemned strongly the activities of the Boko Haram sect, stating that they cannot lay claim to being Muslims as their actions are antithetical to Islamic teachings, principle and injunctions.
“What they are doing is against the principle of Islam. The Quran expressly does not allow terrorism acts. As far as we are concerned, all they claim does not have any basis in the Quran. Whatever part of the Holy Book they are using, they are only twisting the verses to their selfish end. Quran only asked the Muslims to fight in a holy war and there is no holy war in Nigeria.”
He pleaded with the sect to utilise the spirit of Ramadan, which he described as the spirit of forgiveness, mercy and emancipation, to set aside their grudges and release the over 200 girls abducted in Chibok to the government and their parents.
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