Jonathan Reveals Boko Haram Once Selected Buhari as Negotiator

Former President Goodluck Jonathan has revealed that Boko Haram once selected Muhammadu Buhari to act as their negotiator with the Nigerian government.

Jonathan made the disclosure on Friday during the public presentation of Scars, a book by former Chief of Defence Staff, Gen. Lucky Irabor (retd.), in Abuja.

He explained that the insurgents chose Buhari after Jonathan’s administration set up multiple committees to engage the group in dialogue.

“One of the committees we set up then, Boko Haram nominated Buhari to lead their team to negotiate with the government,” Jonathan said. “I thought that if they had nominated Buhari to represent them and interact with the government committee, then when Buhari became president, it might have provided an easier path to negotiations, and they could have surrendered their weapons. But the problem still exists today.”

Jonathan added that the insurgency’s persistence underscores its complexity, noting that Buhari’s inability to fully eliminate Boko Haram highlighted the challenges of addressing the crisis.