A breakthrough in the efforts of the Goodluck Jonathan administration to end the Boko Haram insurgency has been recorded, with some prominent members of the group accepting the conditional amnesty offered by President Jonathan in his Democracy Day Broadcast two days ago.

“I can confirm that some of them have agreed to hand over their weapons,” a reliable source close to The Presidency told News Express this afternoon.

The source said that the breakthrough was achieved by a secret committee set up by President Jonathan to reach out to Boko Haram with a view to getting the group to end the insurgency, which has consumed thousands of lives since it was launched n 2009. The committee is said to be headed by Special Duties Minister Tanimu Turaki.

The source disclosed that the Nigerian Army is to supervise the disarmament of the Boko Haram commanders and fighters who have agreed to hand over their weapons. It, however, explained that this may not necessarily mean an end to the insurgency as the committee has yet to extract any commitment from Boko Haram leader Abubakar Shekau.

“Some of the senior fighters have assured us that they will disarm whether Shekau accepts the amnesty offer or not,” the source told News Express.

Boko Haram has lately come under pressure from northern and Muslim leaders to accept government’s peace overtures following the outrage that has trailed the April 14 abduction of over 200 students of Government Girls Secondary School, Chibok, Borno State, and yesterday’s murder of the Emir of Gwoza, Alhaji Idris Timta.

•Photo shows Boko Haram leader Abubakar Shekau and some of his lieutenants.

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