Nigerian government ready to talk to Boko Haram

Over the weekend, Adesina said Buhari was poised to defeat the insurgency but the government would be prepared to talk to Boko Haram.

"Most wars, however furious or vicious, often end around the negotiation table. So, if Boko Haram opts for negotiation, the government will not be averse to it," he said.

He also said that a multinational force in place with the power to "devastate and decapitate" the insurgency would soon be set in motion.

The multinational force that he was talking about are the soldiers from Nigeria, Cameroon, Chad and Niger who are involved in the campaign to end the insurgency by Boko Haram.

On May 29 at the inauguration ceremony of Muhammadu Buhari, he vowed to crush Boko Haram. But since then the insurgents have stepped up their attacks, targeting mostly places of worship and government buildings.

The most recent attacks happened on Sunday evening in the city of Jos where two explosions believed to have been the work of Boko Haram left at least 44 people dead.

Olive branch or tactical maneuver?

There have been negotiations in the past between the Nigerian government and Boko Haram. But the radical Islamist group's leader Abubakar Shekau always rejected the offers from the government, according to Ryan Cummings, chief security analyst at red24, a crisis management assistance company.

"At this stage it could be a strategy but it could also be a genuine offer of peace to Boko Haram. The regime is looking at any solution to bring peace to northeastern Nigeria that is experiencing many deaths," he told DW.

There is no indication at this point that Boko Haram is willing to negotiate with the Nigerian government but any form of negotiation might require the sanctioning of a superior within Boko Haram or even within the ranks of the "Islamic State" (IS), he further said. Boko Haram pledged allegiance to IS earlier this year.

Residents concerned

Abu Bakar Baba, a resident of Borno State, the stronghold of Boko Haram, described the situation in his hometown as worrying. "The situation is very pathetic. We thought by the change of the new administration things would change for the better."

"We hope and pray that the administration will change its tactics like providing sophisticated weapons, man power and motivation to the soldiers so that they can end the insurgency," Baba said.

Sunday's attacks are the latest in a string blamed on Boko Haram that have now killed more than 250 people over a week. They may be a response to an Islamic State group order for more mayhem during the Muslim holy month of Ramadan.

Jos is a hotspot for violent religious confrontations, located in the center of the country where Nigeria's majority Muslim north and mainly Christian south collide. The city has been targeted in the past by bomb blasts claimed by Boko Haram extremists that have killed hundreds of people.