The federal government had the opportunity to curb the activities of Boko Haram terrorists early on, but it bungled it by not implementing a road-map provided by the Kabiru Turaki-led Presidential Committee on Dialogue and Peaceful Resolution of Security Challenges in the North.
Senator Ahmed Makarfi, a member of the committee who spoke to the media, said a key element in the report they submitted to the federal government was for the setting up of a permanent body to continuously dialogue with the insurgents. "You don't just stop dialogue abruptly; dialogue is a long process. Look at the Arab-Israeli; is there any time they said they have stopped dialogue? So, it is a continuous issue. Security matter such as this is not an issue you set up a committee for just a few months, it solves the problem, it goes, and that is all," Makarfi said. "We brought out a road map to be followed for sustained dialogue to bring the matter to an end. But no action has been taken in that regards. If it was taken, I am not aware. But security issues like this are not resolved by a committee that works for a few months and winds up and gives you recommendations."
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