Vice-Presidential running mate of General Muhammadu Buhari in the 2011 Presidential Elections, Pastor Tunde Bakare has said that one of the ways to end terrorism by Islamist militant sect Boko Haram, is for the federal government to apologise to them.
At a church service in Lagos, Bakare of Latter Rain Assembly said this while addressing the state of the nation. He urged the government to apologise to the sect over the murder of their leader Mohammed Yusuf in 2009.
“But for the timely intervention of God, last week’s assassination attempt on General Muhamadu Buhari might have marked the beginning of the end for Nigeria if it had succeeded. We will not also ignore the fact that at the root of the escalation of the Boko Haram crisis was oppression and injustice.
“The summary execution of the Boko Haram’s former leader, Mohammed Yusuf in 2009 provided the soil of martyrdom for the nurture and growth of the sect. Government must declare peace first of all; apologising for the murder of Mohammed Yusuf to the sect members not their sympathisers or bandits.”