Former President Goodluck Jonathan disclosed that Boko Haram had nominated Muhammadu Buhari as their preferred negotiator during peace talks with the Federal Government when he was president. Speaking at the public presentation of “Scars”, a book authored by former Chief of Defence Staff General Lucky Irabor in Abuja, Jonathan expressed his surprise that despite this nomination, Buhari was unable to end the insurgency during his presidency.

“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,” Jonathan said. He recalled that one of the committees set up by his administration had Boko Haram nominate Buhari to lead their team for negotiations 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 was still there till today,” he stated. Jonathan emphasized that the persistence of Boko Haram underscores the complexity of the crisis, saying “If you conduct research and interview many people, you will only get part of the story, but never the full story of Boko Haram”.

The former president, who battled the insurgency from 2009 as Vice President and from 2010-2015 as President, described the 2014 abduction of Chibok schoolgirls as a “permanent scar” on his administration. “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,” he said.

Jonathan urged the current government to adopt a different approach, suggesting a “carrot-and-stick” strategy. He pointed to the group’s sophisticated weaponry as evidence of external involvement beyond poverty or hunger. “Issue of carrots and the stick may be adopted… if you look at the weapons they use, and you value the weapons, then you know that these are not hungry people”.

He expressed hope that Boko Haram leaders might document their motives like participants in Nigeria’s Civil War, seeking clarity on the group’s objectives. “What did they really want? 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 wanted”.