BY Suzan Edeh

Senator representing Bauchi Central District, Abdul Ningi has appealed to President Goodluck Jonathan to reconsider his decision not to grant amnesty to Boko Haram Islamist group, saying the present insecurity challenges in the country needed to be addressed to avert further loss of lives and property.

He said Federal Government was ‘’greatly’’ marginalising the North-East geo-political zone in the scheme of things by abandoning the area in the heat of Boko Haram menace in some parts of the north.

Ningi spoke, yesterday, at the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, North-East Stakeholders’ meeting in Bauchi, the state capital.

According to Ningi, the security situation in the country was tense and very disturbing, hence the need to grant amnesty to Boko Haram group, which had been waging war against the country to put an end to problem.

He said: “If these groups are demanding for amnesty, please for the sake of the lives of other innocent people and the peace and progress of this nation, they should be given what they are asking for.

“Since the insurgence of Boko Haram in 2001, count the number of lives we have lost.”

These people are potential nation builders, but they are no more today. Why must we continue this way? Nobody is enjoying this whole drama because the integrity of nation is at stake.”

Ningi, however, expressed optimism that granting of amnesty to the group would restore the long awaited peace in the country noting further that Boko Haram was not a faceless group as wrongly insinuated by the Federal Government.