“If we do not forgive the repentant Boko Haram insurgents, we will never have peace, just insecurity.”
So said a participant at the Allamin Foundation for Peace and Development’s conference on Wednesday, September 21, the United Nation’s International Day of Peace.
The foundation organised the conference in Maiduguri, the capital of Borno State, to promote and foster peace in the crisis-affected northeast Nigeria, which has suffered from 13 years of terror at the hands of the Jamā’at Ahl as-Sunnah lid-Da’way Wa’l-Jihād (JAS), better known as Boko Haram, and the Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP). Many lives were torn apart, thousands were killed, millions displaced. Kidnappings and rape and torture were rife.
RNI reporter Nana Khadija Mustapha attended the conference, which was held at the Women Development Centre.
A participant, Yafusam Kyari, said: “I really appreciated the conference, especially for us in Borno State, which has been affected so badly from insecurity.
“I learnt a lot about peace and forgiveness. I learnt how important it is for us to forgive the repentant Boko Haram members who have surrendered to our military. If we don’t forgive them, we will just face another insecurity,” she said.
Fatima Ali said: “How I understood the meaning of peace before the conference was different to how I see it now. The presenter explained the work that is done by security personnel. I always thought of them as oppressors and abusers, but I realised that not all security personnel react like that and most are there to protect us and our property.”
Hamsatu Allamin, the founder of the foundation, said: “Borno State has been affected by insecurity for more than 12 years and that has been very challenging for all of us who live here.”
She said it was up to everyone who lived in the state – including religious leaders, scholars, traditional leaders, the poor and the rich – to pray for Borno State to become peaceful again.
She acknowledged that relative peace had already returned and she thanked God that even insurgents were putting down their weapons and handing themselves over to authorities. She urged everyone, no matter their religion and culture, whether they were men or women, to make it their life’s work to do whatever they could to promote peace in the state.
She said if people knew the cause of the violence, they should always try to find a peaceful solution.
“We have all lived through unpleasant times and hardships. But if we want to live in peace in our country, we must learn to forgive those who have hurt us, even the surrendered insurgents and those security personnel who have not always treated people the right way. We all need to live together in peace. It is important, especially for our children who are our next leaders.”
Allamin said people had to be more patient and learn to listen to others. She said that even in the Qur’an Allah says that everyone who is patient is with me – Chapter 2, Verse 153.
The theme of this year’s United Nations International Day of Peace was “End racism. Build Peace”.
The United Nations said: “Achieving true peace entails much more than laying down arms. It requires the building of societies where all members feel that they can flourish. It involves creating a world in which people are treated equally.
“We all have a role to play in fostering peace. We can support movements for equality and human rights everywhere. We invite you to join the efforts of the United Nations as we work towards a world where compassion and empathy overcome suspicion and hatred. A world that we can truly be proud of.”
- The International Day of Peace was establishedin 1981 by the United Nations General Assembly. Two decades later, in 2001, the General Assembly unanimously voted to designatethe day as a period of non-violence and cease-fire.
ZAINAB ALHAJI ALI
