By Ibrahim Mohammed
Chief of Army Staff (COAS) Lieutenant General Tukur Y. Buratai, has urged Muslim and Christian clerics to ‘‘produce new narratives to defeat the ideological base of Boko Haram terrorists,’’ and their ISWAP collaborators.
Buratai, stated this in Abuja on Monday while delivering a keynote address at the Nigerian Army ‘‘First Ever Spiritual Warfare Seminar’’ organized as a part of ongoing effort to fight terrorism and the ideology fueling Boko Haram extremism in the country.
He said that the essence of the seminar was to make both Muslim and Christian clerics change the narrative against the scourge of the group.
Buratai, told the religious leaders that in a situation whereby they are already disseminating information against the warped form of Islam being propagated by terrorists there was the need ‘‘to step up their efforts,’’ saying such measure will not only de-radicalise Boko Haram insurgents but also stop new recruitment.
In this vein, the COAS who was represented by Chief of Army Administration Major General M. S. Yusuf urged the clerics to start their message from the grassroots, adding that ‘‘self acclaimed puritan Islam is the ideology that fuels new recruitment.’’
