Boko Haram rejects Amnesty Plan

Nigeria's radical Islamist group Boko Haram has rejected the idea of any potential amnesty plan. In a statement obtained by AFP on Thursday, the leader of the group Abubakar Shekau, claimed his group had "not committed any wrong to deserve amnesty".

"Surprisingly, the Nigerian government is talking about granting us amnesty. What wrong have we done? On the contrary, it is we that should grant you pardon," he said, listing what he called the state's "atrocities" against Muslims.

The Hausa language audio recording was distributed by email in a manner consistent with previous Boko Haram messages, and the voice was similar to that of previous Shekau statements.

President Goodluck Jonathan last week formed a panel that includes senior military representatives and presidential sources to look at the possibility of offering amnesty to the Islamists, whose insurgency has left more than 3000 people dead since 2009, including killings by the security services.

Both northern religious group including the Sultan of Sokoto and political leaders have been urging President Jonathan to grant an amnesty to the militants.