Is Amensty the ultimate solution to Boko Haram?

Boko Haram should seriously be considered for amnesty – Catholic Archbishop, Onaiyekan

Catholic Archbishop, Cardinal John Onaiyekan, Sunday joined the league of other Nigerians urging the Federal Government to grant amnesty to members of the Boko Haram sect, as a means of restoring peace back in the crisis-ridden northern part of the country.
The cleric who stated this in an Easter massage to the church and the entire nation noted that although, government had power to give state pardon to criminals, it must be done with caution.
According to the cleric, the sect must seek forgiveness and repentance, so that it would not appear as if they had done the right thing and were being persuaded to seek pardon from the government.
He said,“Government does well to reach out to all political forces and currents, so that the nation can be on the same political page and jointly address this common menace, which terrorism is.
“Under such an atmosphere of common efforts, the call for amnesty would seem to me quite appropriate and even necessary. I therefore see the call of the Sultan as an invitation to further discussion and dialogue among Nigerians to sharpen the focus of government action in this matter.
“That discussion has started, for which we should thank the Sultan and his courageous proposal. In every conflict, a time comes when dialogue and talking must be brought into the equation, in view of final solution.
“But before the Boko Haram can be seriously considered for amnesty, they must meet the two conditions mentioned earlier for forgiveness, namely repentance and amendment. Before they are eligible for any amnesty, they must at least admit that they were wrong to be killing innocent people, whatever may have been their grievances. If this is not done, they could well continue to feel that they did the right thing and perhaps, it is the rest of us who ought to beg them for pardon.”

The Archbishop urged the government to address the growing problems of poverty and unemployment and promote good governance so as to give the people justifiable reasons for electing them into the office they are occupying.
“We have to find ways of getting ourselves out of the tight grip of these two evils (insecurity and massive corruption). It will require not only legal approach but also wise political moves and quiet diplomatic efforts as well as input from the spiritual leadership of the country.
“This means that the problem of Nigeria is the problem of all of us and we must find a way of putting our heads together to change our ways of doing things so that a great nation can emerge.
On the pardon granted the former Bayelsa State Governor, the Onaiyekan said it was a setback to the fight against corruption.