The All Progressives Congress presidential candidate, Maj. Gen. Muhammadu Buhari (retd.), on Thursday, ruled out amnesty for Boko Haram insurgents if elected President on March 28.
He said the activities of the sect which has so far killed over 13, 000 people since 2009, had become a source of worry to many people within and outside the country.
Buhari was at the Royal Institute of International Affairs, Chatham House, London, where he addressed the world on various issues concerning the rescheduled general elections.
He said, 'I think I will not go to that office with that promise. I have said in my address how, at least 13,000 Nigerians have been killed by Boko Haram, how millions of them have been displaced and are now kept in different camps called Internally Displaced Persons camps.
'Schools have been burnt, there is so much disruption to normal life; people cannot farm and where they are able to farm, they cannot harvest. So, granting amnesty to Boko Haram will be unfair to the system.'
Buhari, who described himself as 'a former military ruler and a converted democrat,' however stated that any insurgent caught would 'be given the chance in civil courts to be properly prosecuted.'
He added, 'We will secure Nigeria. At no other time in our history has Nigeria been this insecure. Boko Haram has sadly put Nigeria on the terrorism map, killing more than 13,000 of our nationals, displacing millions internally and externally, and at a time holding on to portions of our territory the size of Belgium. What has been consistently lacking is the required leadership in our battle against insurgency.'
He accused the current administration of allowing Boko Haram to operate with ease by failing to provide what he described as 'a multi-dimensional response' to its activities.
'In the matter of this insurgency, our soldiers have neither received the necessary support nor the required incentives to tackle this problem,' the former Head of State said.
Asked how he planned to tackle the violent sect if elected President, Buhari said his government would 'pay special attention to the welfare of our soldiers in and out of service, give the military adequate modern arms and ammunition and improve intelligence gathering to choke its financial and equipment channels.'
The former Head of State also said his regime would look into the root causes of insurgency 'by intiating a comprehensive economic development plan promoting infrastructural development, job creation, agriculture and industry in the affected areas.
The APC presidential candidate gave assurance that the world would have no cause to worry about Nigeria any longer if given the mandate to rule the country by Nigerians.
He said, 'Nigeria will return to its stabilising role in West Africa, and no inch of Nigerian territory will ever be lost to the enemy.
Buhari also said the global interest the Nigerian general elections had generated was not misplaced. He therefore urged the international community to continue to focus on the country at this very critical moment.
The Katsina State-born general expressed the view that the elections should be conducted on the rescheduled dates of March 28 and April 11 and that their outcomes should be respected by all parties.
He, however, warned that any further extension of the elections under whichever guise would not be tolerated.
The APC presidential candidate also flayed President Goodluck Jonathan's administration for the poor management of the country's economy.
According to him, waste and corruption thrive under the Jonathan administration.
Buhari, who expressed his distaste for corruption, promised to run a transparent government.
He said, 'There will be no confusion as to where I stand. Corruption will have no place and the corrupt will not be appointed into my administration. First and foremost, we will plug the holes in the budgetary process.
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