ABUJA — The Federal Government may have bowed to pressure from the British Government to dialogue with members of Boko Haram Islamic sect, Vanguard has learnt.

Britain was said to have mounted pressure on President Goodluck Jonathan to open genuine dialogue with members of the Boko Haram, following the botched rescue attempt by the British Special Forces and their Nigerian counterparts in Sokoto State, last week, which led to the death of two European contractors.

The dialogue is coming even as Governor Kashim Shettima of Borno State has once again appealed to the Boko Haram sect to lay down their arms and dialogue with the governments, as according to him,  activities of the sect had  “tied down” the hands of government in addressing issues of poverty, unemployment and the protection of  lives and property in the country.

Shettima spoke, yesterday, while distributing 100 commuter buses to 26 Local government councils, three health institutions and seven Emirate Councils at Government House, Maiduguri following a ban on motorcycles last July.

Sources said the sect had named President of the Supreme Council for Sharia in Nigeria, Sheik Datti Ahmed,  as its lead negotiator following which President Jonathan had begun secret meetings with Datti, to end the insurgency that has so far led to the killing of over 2,000 Nigerians, including security agents across the country.

It was learnt that a team earlier put together by the Federal Government was discarded as it was discovered they had no influence on the sect.

The UK government had used a document allegedly presented at the Chatham House by the President of Kaduna-based Civil Rights Congress of Nigeria, CRCN, Mallam Shehu Sani, as the lead for a genuine beginning of critical dialogue with Boko Haram.

Sani was said to have named some individuals that could end the insurgency of Boko Haram,  putting Dr. Ahmed as the most trusted person by the sect.

The document also stated that the slain leader of the group, Mohammed Yusuf, was a member of the Supreme Council of Sharia headed by Sheikh Ahmed.

Sani confirmed through a text message to Vanguard that he actually named Dr Ahmed as one of those who could resolve the Boko Haram insurgency, adding: “They have started discussion. I did tell them in Chatham House that Dr Datti (Ahmed) is the solution.’’

FG releases sect members

Presidency sources also confirmed that Boko Haram had requested the release of its members detained across Nigeria as the requirement for further talks with the Federal Government.

However, the Federal Government has only conceded to releasing the low profile members of the sect, preferring to hold on to the high profile leaders currently in high security detention centres just as the Boko Haram adherents have reportedly said the release of their low profile members  would only guarantee low profile ceasefire of their attacks.

The talks are being delayed by some hard-line security chiefs who are said to be hell bent on fighting the sect to the end, according to Presidency sources.

If current pre-conditions for peace talks are met, there will be a ceasefire for at least a few weeks while a new set of negotiators will be empanelled in the coming days or weeks to comprise the secretary of the Supreme Council of Sharia, Nasir Baba, Mallam Shehu Sanni and another leading journalist said to be in contact with the sect.