Gov. Ganduje raises fears over negotiation with terror group

dimeji akinloye

September 19, 2015 12:51 AM

The governor called on the local communities to be vigilant and be interested in the security around them by making available intelligence information to the security agencies.

Suspected Boko Haram gunmen on horseback kill at least 24 in northern Nigeria

Gov. Abdullahi Ganduje of Kano State has warned that the Federal Government must be careful in its resolve to negotiate with the dreaded Boko Haram sect.

Ganduje, who was fielding questions from State House correspondents in Abuja on Friday, expressed the fears that government might end up not talking with the genuine faction of the sect.

"I hope when we negotiate with them, we are negotiating with the correct people.

"Experience has shown that they have so many factions and if we are not lucky, we may be dealing with the wrong faction,’’ he said.

He said, "I believe the security agencies should have intelligence information to know what type of people we are dealing with.

"But, most importantly is community policing. Communities should be interested in the whole security situation because a lot of information can be received from the local people which will assist the security agencies.

"People should be alert about security situation,’’ he said.

Ganduje, however, expressed the hope that the forthcoming Sallah celebration would be peaceful owing to the milestones achieved by the federal government in the war against insurgency in the country.

"Sallah is a few days to come and we pray to almighty Allah for a successful celebration.

"Already we are expecting a peaceful Sallah because the Nigerian President has done a lot in controlling insurgency in the North-Eastern part of the country which normally flows to places like Kano, especially during sallah celebration.

"We believe that with the efforts of Mr President, the insurgency is down and we are expecting a hitch- free sallah celebration,’’ he added.

The governor urged Nigerians to continue praying for peace and stability in the country.

dimeji akinloye