In a moment of reflection on an event that shook the nation about 11 years ago, former President Goodluck Jonathan has revealed the role played by former President Muhammadu Buhari in the effort to rescue the 276 girls adopted by terrorists from a secondary school in Chibok, Borno State.
Speaking at the public presentation of ‘Scars’, a book authored by former Chief of Defence Staff, General Lucky Irabor, in Abuja yesterday, Jonathan said his administration devised several ways to curtail the insurgency that defined much of his presidency, but with little success.
He recalled that in the process of trying to get them to surrender, the insurgents put forward former president Buhari as their preferred negotiator.
Jonathan said the development had caused him to think that Boko Haram insurgency would end as soon as Buhari became president
He said: ‘One of the committees we set up then, the Boko Haram nominated Buhari to lead their team to negotiate with the government.
‘So I was feeling that, oh, if they nominated Buhari to represent them and have a discussion with the government committee, then when Buhari took over, it could have been an easy way to negotiate with them and they would have handed over their guns.
‘But it is still there till today.’
Jonathan noted that the inability of Buhari to eradicate Boko Haram terrorists showed that the crisis was more complex than often portrayed.
He said: ‘If you conduct research and interview many people, you will only get part of the story but never the full story of Boko Haram. I was there.
‘Boko Haram started in 2009 when I was vice president. I took over in 2010 and spent five years battling the insurgency until I left office.
‘I thought that after I left, within a reasonable time, General Buhari would wipe them out. But even today, Boko Haram is still there.
‘The issue of Boko Haram is far more complex than it is often presented.
‘So, it’s a bit complex, and not a matter of a single story.
‘But I believe, as a nation, we have to look at the Boko Haram issue differently from the conventional approach.
‘I believe one day we’ll overcome it.’
The former president thanked General Irabor for the book, saying he always appreciates people who document events clearly.
‘That way, when we write our own accounts, we can borrow from such documentation.
‘I also believe that all the military officers involved in the Boko Haram saga should provide information about what the group truly stood for,’ he said.
Jonathan also said the issue of Boko Haram was beyond hunger, adding that his administration employed so many strategies which did not work.
He said: ‘If it was only about hunger-because we tried different options-I don’t want to sound like I’m defending my government. That will be left for history when we document our books.
‘But I believe we did our best. We set up different committees and tried various approaches during the five years I was in office.
‘I believe the late Buhari too must have tried his best.
‘I believe the government-luckily, with the Defence Minister here and the service chiefs represented-must adopt a slightly different approach.
‘God willing, we will be able to resolve this crisis.’
‘I’ll die with scars of Chibok schoolgirls’ abduction’
The former president described the abduction of the Chibok schoolgirls in 2014 as a permanent scar on his administration.
He added that he hoped some leaders of the insurgent group would eventually document their actions, similar to how key actors of the Nigerian Civil War wrote their own accounts, to provide clarity on the insurgency’s motives.
He said: ‘One of the major scars on my government-and it will remain on my face, as Bishop Kukah said, no plastic or cosmetic surgeon can remove it-is the issue of the Chibok girls.
‘It is a scar I will die with. But perhaps later, more details may become known, and that too has to do with Boko Haram.
‘What do they really want? Our chairman once raised the issue when he interviewed some of them, and they gave him certain perspectives.
‘But I pray that one day, some of the Boko Haram leaders may be literate enough to document what they have done, so that people will truly understand what they want.
‘It is similar to the story of the Nigerian Civil War.’
Jonathan urged the current administration to consider the carrot and stick approach to address the insurgency, which has lasted more than a decade.
Jonathan’s claim misleading, says Garba Shehu
Reacting to Jonathan’s statement yesterday, former presidential spokesman, Mallam Garba Shehu, described it as misleading.
He said if Jonathan’s remarks were intended as a campaign message for a possible 2027 presidential run, then ‘he is making a false start.’
According to Shehu, neither Boko Haram’s founding leader, Muhammed Yusuf, nor his successor, Abubakar Shekau, ever nominated Buhari for mediation.
Instead, he noted, Shekau consistently denounced and threatened Buhari, given their opposing ideologies.
Read Also: Boko Haram never nominated Buhari as mediator, Garba Shehu tells Jonathan
He recalled that in 2014, Buhari narrowly escaped a bomb attack by Boko Haram in Kaduna, which left some of his aides injured.
‘Buhari’s campaigns focused on fighting Boko Haram and restoring security to Nigeria whenever he became president, putting him in direct opposition to the terrorist group’s leaders,’ Shehu said.
Shehu further explained that Buhari himself had denied knowledge of any such nomination when the issue surfaced in 2011.
Citing a statement issued at the time by then Congress for Progressive Change (CPC) secretary, Buba Galadima, he recalled that Buhari dismissed the report as ‘just speculation’ since nobody had contacted him directly.
Buhari, Shehu said, maintained then that as a patriotic Nigerian, he would only continue to pray for peace in the country.
The former spokesman clarified that the confusion arose after a Boko Haram faction, possibly sponsored by Buhari’s political opponents, staged a press conference in Maiduguri through one Abu Mohammed Ibn Abdulaziz, who claimed the sect preferred Buhari and other northern elders, including the late Shettima Ali Monguno and Senator Bukar Abba Ibrahim, to mediate.
Abdulaziz’s claims, Shehu stressed, were swiftly disowned by Shekau’s loyalists, who said he had no mandate to speak for the group.
At the time, CPC’s publicity secretary, the late Rotimi Fashekun, had also lambasted the Jonathan administration and the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) for exploiting the alleged nomination for political gain.
Fashekun described it as ‘the latest gambit in the desire of the corrupt PDP-led government to divert attention from the massive looting of the people’s common patrimony.’
Fashekun insisted that Buhari had never been linked to any insurgency, portraying him as a ‘quintessential patriot’ while accusing the PDP government itself of complicity in Nigeria’s insecurity.
He cited Jonathan’s own admission that Boko Haram had infiltrated his government, a point echoed by then National Security Adviser, the late General Andrew Azazi, as well as revelations by the State Security Service (SSS).
‘Jonathan’s latest comments revive a long-debunked narrative and fail to recognise the true record of Buhari’s opposition to Boko Haram. To win in 2027, Dr. Jonathan should look for a better story to tell Nigerians,’ he concluded.
Irabor’s book road map to stable Nigeria -Tinubu
President Bola Ahmed Tinubu says the book, Scars: Nigeria’s Journey and the Boko Haram Conundrum, will provide guidance and serves as a road map for the nation to build a safer future.
Tinubu, who was represented by the Minister of Defence Mohammed Badaru at the Transcorp Hilton Abuja venue of the book launch, said Irabor has demonstrated that ‘leadership in war is not solely about firepower but also about intellectuals’.
‘As Theater Commander, Irabor confronted an existential threat to our national identity with the desired determination and pragmatism.
‘Scars tells a story. It reminds us of pain, but it also proves that survival is possible. Therefore, the scars we carry as a nation are evidence of our resilience.
‘They remind us of the sacrifice of our heroes past, soldiers, displaced families, and communities,’ Tinubu said.
The President emphasised that the book encourages learning from past experiences to build a safer, more stable future.
He reaffirmed his administration’s commitment to this vision, highlighting the Renewed Hope Agenda’s goal of transforming Nigeria into a nation of peace, opportunity, and unity.
Tinubu emphasised that security is central to his vision, highlighting efforts to modernise the armed forces with cutting-edge technology and platforms.
‘We are also streamlining intelligence gathering capability and deepening regional partnership to boost collective security.
‘We are investing in a whole-of-society approach to security so that peace is not only won on the battlefield but sustained in daily life with participation of the citizens.
‘Let all Nigerians be aware that we will not rest until we defeat all indices of insecurity,’ the president said.
New thinking needed to end Boko Haram, says Obasanjo
Former President Olusegun Obasanjo says Nigeria can only defeat Boko Haram insurgency when both the political and security leadership begin to think beyond the available narrative about the sect.
He added that documenting the experiences of those affected can help the country understand the issue and develop effective strategies to address it.
Obasanjo spoke as the Chairman of occasion at the public presentation of former Chief of Defence Staff, Gen. Lucky Irabor’s book, Scars, in Abuja yesterday.
He said: ‘When in 2011, after Boko Haram had attacked the UN office here in Abuja, I went to Maiduguri to find out if there was Boko Haram, and what was it? Who were they? What are their objectives? What do they want? How can we satisfy them?
‘And I found out, yes, there was Boko Haram. I found they were not really aiming for anything political or anything seriously religious, but people that were looking for a better life, and any other thing attached to that is a better life for them.
‘Have we understood that? If we have, have we taken the steps that we should take? If we have, why is it that after 15 years, Boko Haram is now gradually becoming part of our life? Should we accept that?
‘If we do not accept it, what should we do? How much do we know?’
‘Even from the other side, and from this side, have we been active enough? Have we been proactive enough?
‘I think we have to ask ourselves the necessary questions to be able to deal with this . something that is now becoming a monster within our country.’
The former president noted that while Nigeria has faced various security challenges since independence, Boko Haram stands out for persisting over 15 years without resolution, largely due to a lack of proper understanding of the group.
FG will sustain dynamics of combating terrorism -Akume
The Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF), Senator George Akume, says the present administration would sustain the dynamics in kinetic and non-kinetic approach in combating terrorism and other criminalities in the country.
Akume said this in his goodwill message at the launch of the book ‘Scars: Nigeria’s Journey and the Boko Haram Conundrum’ in Abuja yesterday. Akume’s goodwill message was read by Prof. Babatunde Bolaji, his technical adviser.
He said the administration of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has made tremendous progress towards a secured country ‘in which productivity shall spur us to a Nigeria of our dreams’.
Akume praised General Irabor’s distinguished service to the country, particularly as Chief of Defence Staff, which stands as a powerful testament to his patriotism, courage, and unwavering commitment to Nigeria’s unity and security.
‘At some of the most challenging moments in our recent history, when the fabric of our nation was threatened by insurgency and violent extremism, he stood firmly at the forefront, providing leadership that not only safeguarded lives but also strengthened the resilience of our Armed Forces and our collective will to overcome adversity,’ he said.
Akume described General Irabor’s new book as far more than a memoir, but ‘a vital reflection on our national journey and a contribution to the ongoing discourse on peace, security, and nation-building.’
According to him, by documenting the complex realities of the Boko Haram challenge and the lessons learned in confronting it, Gen. Irabor is enriching our national memory and equipping future generations with knowledge critical to building a safer and more united Nigeria.
Leah Sheribu, others a scar on Nigeria, says Bishop Kukah
The Bishop of Sokoto Diocese, Most Rev. Dr. Matthew Hassan Kukah, says Leah Sharibu and every Nigerian child unaccounted for in the war against Boko Haram is a scar on Nigeria.
Kukah said this when he spoke as the book reviewer at the official launch of ‘Scars: Nigeria’s Journey and the Boko Haram Conundrum’, a book authored by former Chief of Defence Staff, General Lucky Irabor.
Rev. Kukah said: ‘Now, the issue of Leah Sharibu and the Chibok girls, these are what the author refers to as the scars. And in my view, as long as Leah Sharibu is unaccounted for, as long as any of the adopted children in Nigeria is unaccounted for, every child that is unaccounted for is a scar on the face of Nigeria.’
According to Kukah, military efforts alone would not end the Boko Haram insurgency, as the insurgents are driven by a willingness to die while soldiers fight to stay alive.
Kukah also criticised the narrative to label the insurgents as ‘Boko Haram,’ arguing that this approach misses the roots of the issue.
‘And I think this is where the Nigerian government has gotten it wrong. First of all, let’s not forget, we are the ones who gave them the name Boko Haram,’ he said.
‘They didn’t say that they are Boko Haram. We are the ones who gave them the name, and because we gave them the name Boko Haram, we have become comfortable. It has affected our strategy.
‘Boko Haram says their name is Jama’at Ahl al-Sunna li al-Da’wa wa al-Jihad. That is their name. And the English translation is that people committed to the prophet’s teachings for the propagation of jihad.
‘The challenge is what context of preaching?’
Charging political leaders to write biographies, Rev. Kukah said the nation was already in trouble and needed the way out.
He said: ‘First, the Nigerian military must be inspired by this book to also create a sense of urgency about returning to the barracks so that their honor, their integrity, their professionalism can be guaranteed.
‘Soldiers have written to say that they are often better off under civilian government than under military government.
‘However, the presence of the military in 36 states out of 36 states in Nigeria makes the notion of democracy an oxymoron.
‘We cannot be in a democracy and be surrounded by soldiers. Because increasingly, psychologically, people are beginning to think, see the military as an army of occupation.
‘It shouldn’t be so.’
He also charged the federal government to expand its concept of national security to cover all aspects of security, including food and health.’
Sultan faults Kukah’s claim
However, the Sultan of Sokoto, Alhaji Sa’ad Abubaker III, faulted Kukah’s claim.
He said: ‘I also want to correct a wrong notion that many non-Muslims hold about jihad.
‘Jihad does not mean a Muslim must kill a non-Muslim.
‘Jihad means ‘to strive.’
‘In every aspect of life, one strives to be the best they can be-to be a good Muslim, a good Christian, a good farmer, or a good engineer.
‘Jihad is not about killing non-Muslims; that is a misconception that has persisted for decades.
‘In addition, I want to clarify another issue. When Bishop Kukah spoke about Islamism, he may have used some words in a way that created misunderstanding, making Islam to appear negative.
‘But Islamism is not about seeking power for its own sake. Rather, Islam emphasises good governance in society.
‘Whoever is in power-take for example President Goodluck Jonathan-we gave him 100% support throughout his presidency.
‘Nobody said anything negative about him, and he himself knows that.
‘So, Islamism is not what some people think. It is not about seizing power; it is about promoting good governance.’