Former President Goodluck Jonathan has revealed that during his administration, Boko Haram insurgents once nominated former President Muhammadu Buhari to represent them in peace talks with the Federal Government.1 Jonathan made this statement on Friday, October 3, 2025, at a book presentation in Abuja.2
According to Jonathan, his government had set up several committees to explore a path to dialogue with the sect.3 In one of those instances, the insurgents named Buhari as their preferred negotiator.
Jonathan’s Reflection on the Insurgency
Jonathan expressed his surprise that the insurgency persisted even after Buhari became president, believing that it would have been easier for Buhari to negotiate a surrender with the terrorists.
He stated, “One of the committees we set up then, the Boko Haram nominated Buhari to lead their team to negotiate with the government.4 So I was feeling that, oh, if they nominated Buhari to represent them and have a discussion with the government committee, then when Buhari took over, it could have been an easy way to negotiate with them and they would have handed over their guns.5 But it was still there till toda6y.”
The former president added that this shows the complexity of the Boko Haram crisis, stating that it is “far more complex than it is often presented.”7 He also noted that his administration employed many strategies during his five years in office, but they did not work.8
The Historical Context
The claim that Boko Haram once chose Buhari as a mediator is not new.9 Reports from 2012 indicate that the sect named Buhari among a group of northern leaders they trusted to mediate on their behalf.10 However, at that time, Buhari publicly rejected the offer, accusing the Jonathan administration of attempting to drag his name into the crisis for political reasons.
