By uduma kalu, ISHOLA BALOGUN with agency reports
The Boko Haram Islamist sect may have told the Federal Government that it will declare a three- month truce if the government releases its detained members.  The condition is one among others the sect is said to have given to the Federal Government in the ongoing  dialogue by both parties to end the sect’s attacks, two sources close to talks said yesterday.

This is Nigeria’s first indirect peace talks with the  Islamist sect for possible ceasefire. This is coming against the backdrop of reports by the United States Military that a total 196 bombings occurred in Nigeria in 2011, compared with 52 incidents in 2010.

The US Pentagon’s anti-Improvised Explosives Device, IED, unit also says it expects Nigeria to see a slight increase in bomb incidents this year because militants will have reached their capacity to produce them. The report was issued before the latest attack on St Finbarr’s Catholic Church in Jos, Plateau State. Some prominent Nigerians have however, praised the Federal Government over its decision to dialogue with the Boko Haram Islamic sect in a bid to  end the killings of innocent lives. The lead negotiator for Boko Haram is the  President of the Supreme Council for Sharia in Nigeria, Dr Datti Ahmed.
Saturday Vanguard sought their opinions on the development and most of those who responded said that there was no alternative for dialogue.

They said that even nations which had fought wars,the citizens still resorted to the round table for peace at the end of the day.

Those who spoke in praise of the government included Senator Kanti Bello, former National Chairman of the All Progressive Grand Alliance, APGA, Chief Chekwas Okorie, former Governor of Anambra State, Dr Chukwuemeka Ezeife, the Secretary of the Supreme Council on Islamic Affairs, Dr Lateef Adegbite, Chairman of Oodua People’s Congress, OPC, Dr Frederick Fasehun, Senator Idris Kachako and former Governor of Kaduna State, Alhaji Balarabe Musa.

But,  former Military Administrator of Kaduna State, Col. Abubakar Umar, rtd, has expressed misgiving over the issue saying that it would be difficult to identify the Boko Haram adherents.

Meanwhile, the US Military’s report, quoted by Associated Press also said militants last year began using a deadlier type of bomb known as a shaped charge for the first time in both Somalia and Nigeria,  John Myrick, a U.S. military bomb expert said.

Advanced bomb-makers use shaped charges to increase the force of a bomb so that it can penetrate armour. It also said such deadly explosives were used repeatedly by militants at the height of the Iraq war, and to a lesser extent in Afghanistan.

The migration of the deadlier bombs to Africa is evidence that more sophisticated al-Qaida-linked groups are advising and training African militants,”

Across Africa, the U.S. military said the number of IED incidents rose from 547 in 2010 to 626 last year, a 14 percent increase. Algeria saw the number of bomb incidents drop from 251 to 137.

Somalia saw a slight rise — from 182 to 191 — while incidents in neighboring Kenya jumped from 14 to 26. Many of Kenya’s bomb attacks were near the Somali border and appeared to have been planted by Somali militants al-Shabab.

It also said the type of sophisticated explosives used by Boko Haram were such as were used in Iraq and Afghanistan.  The report also blamed poor training  and corruption in Nigeria security operatives, citing the recent case of a police bomb detonator in Kaduna  who died while detecting bomb without wearing any protective device.

However, the sources said that “There have been preliminary talks between a Boko Haram appointed intermediary,” a senior security official told media on condition of anonymity, adding that Boko Haram has set out terms for a temporary ceasefire.

A diplomatic source also said there have been contacts between Nigeria’s government and Boko Haram through intermediaries. The security official said Boko Haram has proposed a three-month truce if all of its detained members are released and if the government halts any further arrests. He said the government was looking at the proposal.

According to the security official, one of the intermediaries for the indirect talks was a northern cleric trusted by Boko Haram. “The problem is not about the sect’s readiness for dialogue, but winning their trust and confidence that the government is genuine in its intentions because they still have the fear of betrayal and back-stabbing on the part of the government.

“The leaders are afraid that they could be arrested once they come out for direct talks. The major hurdle is to win their confidence that nothing will befall them if they show their faces,” the official said.

The diplomatic source could not provide details, but said there had been “real contacts” between the government and Boko Haram through intermediaries.

A previous attempt to engage Boko Haram in talks early last year failed when Boko Haram objected to the demand that they surrender their arms as a condition for a peace agreement that would have involved an amnesty, the security official said. Those talks were mediated by a former state governor, he said.

There has been intense speculation over whether Boko Haram has ties to outside extremist groups, including Al-Qaeda’s north African branch. Diplomats say such links have been limited to training for certain Boko Haram members and that there has been no evidence of operational ties.