Exchange of B’Haram detainees for Chibok Girls: Disappointed lawmaker says no to Sultan

Sultan of Sokoto

An angry federal lawmaker‎, Hon. Bitrus Kaze, representing Jos South/Jos East Federal Constituency at the House of Representatives, recently disagreed with the Sultan of Sokoto, Alhaji Sa’ad Abubakar III, over the latter’s proposal that the federal government should exchange detained terrorists to bring back the 200+ kidnapped Chibok girls.

Kaze alleged that as the commander-in-chief of Muslims in Nigeria, the Sultan’s ‎recommendation was disturbing to peace-loving Nigerians and that it also sends the wrong signal to Muslims in the armed forces.
Kaze further alleged in a statement  he issued on Friday, which was obtained by SHOWBIZPLUSng that: “The Sultan of Sokoto is the Commander-in-Chief of all Nigerian Muslims, including the moderates and the extremists like Boko Haram.
“The statement by His Eminence unfortunately sends dangerous signals, especially to the officers and men of Nigerian armed forces who are Muslims.”

‎He further argued that the position of the Sultan of Sokoto appears to be sympathetic to the cause of Boko Haram terrorist group, and expressed regret that the monarch came up with the position at a time “that the war against terror is gaining global momentum following the abduction of nearly 300 school girls in Chibok.”
He said the proposal is “depressing, counter-productive and very dangerous.”
He added: “As a retired brigadier of the Nigerian Army, whose last duty post was Pakistan, the hotbed of global terrorism, the Sultan should understand better the implications and inevitability of the use of force in Nigeria’s counter-insurgency efforts”, adding that “no counter-insurgency strategy can be sustained anywhere in the world without the military and without the use of force.”
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He said, while the Sultan showed in his statement that he is sympathetic to the detained terrorists, “he is completely insensitive to the plight of the innocent and law-abiding citizens, who are victims of his rampaging subjects.”
‎The Sultan had reportedly called on the federal government to negotiate with members of the Boko Haram sect, warning that “the government cannot fight a group of faceless individuals whose locations are unknown.”

The Royal father, who was in Abuja where he declared open the 7th National Conference of the Muslim Lawyers Association of Nigeria (MULAN), had said, “When you hold somebody and he says he is not a member of Boko Haram, believe him, he is not, if he is, he will not denounce”, adding that Boko Haram members often do not deny their activities.
Citing an example of the American government who “exchanged one soldier for very senior five al-Qaeda leaders”, the Sultan had disagreed with President Goodluck Jonathan, who had repeatedly said the government would not negotiate with criminals, saying “insurgency had never been successfully tackled with force anywhere in the world.”

The Sultan, who also spoke extensively on why Sharia Laws and Islamic tenets should be included in the country’s constitution, added, “Why should any non-Muslim be afraid of Islam, why should a non-Muslim be afraid of inclusion of Islamic provisions in our constitution, we believe that we are over 80 million, and the 80 million believes it is the best way to live their lives. Christians should not be against anything that is purely for Muslims, just as Muslims would not be against anything that is purely for Christians.”
He further urged Muslim lawyers to visit prisons with a view to intervening on behalf of those being detained wrongfully through legal actions.