Tinubu backs amnesty for Boko Haram as he visits Emir of Kano

A former Governor of Lagos State, Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu, on Wednesday supported the position of the Sultan of Sokoto, Alhaji Sa’ad Abubakar III, that members of dreaded sect, Boko Haram, should be granted amnesty.
Tinubu, who spoke during a visit to one of the hotbeds of the insurgency in the North, Kano, said that contrary to the claim of President Goodluck Ebele Jonathan, the members of Boko Haram are not ghosts.
Tinubu, who was in Kano to commiserate with the Emir of Kano, Alhaji Ado Bayero, on the attack on him and his convoy recently, said the use of force to resolve the Boko Haram onslaught will not work.
He said: “You will end up multiplying the perpetrators by trying to use force against your own citizens.
“If today, America is questioning the head of the national security, who targeted its own citizens waging terror against America, so can’t we protect their interest?
“I therefore disagree with the President.
“They are not ghosts.”
Tinubu also called for the proper funding of the police.
He said without the needed manpower and equipment, fighting crime will be difficult.
He added: “Let the IGP have 100 per cent control so that we can hold him responsible for any security lapses that may arise in the country.
“He is in a better position than some Ministers.
“Some people are happy and benefiting from the Boko Haram insurgency because it allows them an unhindered access to security votes and want it to continue.
“So I am convinced that the Boko Haram conflict is sponsored by some people for economic reasons, while others try to polarize it along political devices.”
Tinubu condemned the attack on Bayero, adding: “We came to Kano to pay courtesy call on the Emir of Kano, Alhaji Ado Bayero, over the most unfortunate attack and the incident that happened to an institution like him and a great father with wisdom, who has spent many years on the traditional throne as a leader.
“Been exposed to such an attack is very dangerous for our country and is making things seem hopeless.”
Bayero thanked Tinubu and his entourage for the show of love.
He described Tinubu as a visionary and purposeful leader.
Among those who accompanied Tinubu on the visit were the National Chairman of Action Congress of Nigeria, Chief Bisi Akande; the presidential candidate of the party in the 2011 election, Mallam Nuhu Ribadu; a former Minister of Labour and Productivity, Alhaji Musa Gwadabe; and a former National Chairman opt the All Nigeria Peoples Party, Alhaji Yusuf Ali.