FG negotiate with Boko Haram terrorists from a position of strength.

The Federal Government, insisted that it would only negotiate with Boko Haram terrorists from a position of strength, rather than weakness. The expression of confidence came hours after about six female suicide bombers blew themselves up in Zabarmari village, as panicky villagers fled. According to the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN), Saturday, seven people were killed while nine were injured in the process.

In a statement clarifying earlier comments on BBC that President Muhammadu Buhari was amenable to negotiations with the terrorist group, Presidential spokesman, Femi Adesina, explained that the President’s latest stance was not entirely out of place, since most wars and conflicts end up with some form of negotiations.

According to the President’s Special Assistant on Media and Publicity, Femi Adesina: “Most wars, however furious or vicious, often end around the negotiation table. So, if Boko Haram opts for negotiation, the government will not be averse to it. Government will, however, not be negotiating from a position of weakness, but that of strength”

“The machinery put in place, and which will be set in motion soon, can only devastate and decapitate insurgency. It is multinational in nature, and relief is on the way for Nigeria and her neighbours.

“President Muhammadu Buhari is resolute. He has battled and won insurgency before, he is poised to win again. It is a promise he made to Nigerians, and he is a promise keeper,” he stressed.

Adesina further noted that should “the insurgents want to negotiate, no decent government will be averse to such. Didn’t the Taliban and Americans also negotiate in Afghanistan?”