The Catholic Bishop of Sokoto Diocese, Bishop Mathew Kukah, has said that terrorism by Boko Haram will be defeated not only with guns and weapons but also through education. “I know we have a president with military background, I know we have the chief of army staff, General Buratai” who is doing his best, but military solution is never the best way to resolve a conflict.
Bishop Kukah said this in Maiduguri during a chat with Channels TV in Maiduguri after a three-day long engagement involving community leaders drawn from Adamawa, Borno and Yobe states, organised by The Kukah Center.
He said, “For me, as an intellectual, military solution is never the best way to resolve a conflict. Most conflicts have never been resolved on the war front. The final issues of human survival, the building blocks of a better society are laid by those who listen to the ordinary stories of people and how they survived. “We will defeat Boko Haram militarily.
But Boko Haram is an idea; it is not about guns and weapons. The guns are important. But beyond that is constructing a befitting edifice that can ensure an inclusion that will figure out how to manage the massive diversity that constitutes Nigeria. That is at the heart of the tragedy of Boko Haram.
“So, I think we must renew our commitment, first, to the fact that education is the antidote, but, most importantly, is the need for us to centre every policy around the development of the human person.” The focus of the meeting is on de-radicalisation, rehabilitation and reintegration of Violent Extremist Offenders (VEOs). The plan is to start conversations at the community level aimed at tackling the challenges of integrating repentant insurgents.
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