The Borno State Government has set three conditions for the reintegration of 3, 900 Boko Haram repentant terrorists into communities. The conditions were contained in a 16-point communique signed by the State Attorney General and Commissioner of Justice, Kaka Shehu Lawan, after yesterday’s (Sunday) stakeholders’ meeting held in Maiduguri. According to the Stakeholders, the Federal Government should handle the issues of repentant Boko Haram terrorists with utmost care and in accordance with the instrumentality of the law. “The meeting also stressed the need for proper profiling of the repentant terrorists,” it said, warning that hasty release of hardened elements into communities should be avoided.
The Stakeholders, including the Shehu of Borno, Alhaji Abubakar Umar Garbai El-Kanemi and other traditional and religious leaders called for the retrieval of all firearms and weapons used by the terrorists during the 12-year insurgency. “We strongly advocate for the strengthening of the deradicalisation mechanism of Operation Safe Corridor, it said, adding that this could engage parents of surrendered terrorists, clerics, traditional rulers and the media. The meeting also urged the people to key into the educational opportunities created by the State Government. “The repentant terrorists should enroll their children into schools,” said Lawan, stating that this could serve as counter measures for indoctrination.
They reiterated the need for more support to all victims of insurgency, particularly women and children. “We commend the federal government for providing the state of the art equipment and other logistics to the security operatives to fight the insurgency that resulted in the surrender of many terrorists,” it said. While welcoming the massive surrender of insurgents, the Stakeholders urged the ones still in the bush to also lay down their arms and join other repentant terrorists for the reintegration programme.
They therefore urged the federal government to establish a standard deradicalisation and rehabilitation centre in the state. According to the communique, the state is the epicenter of terrorism that claimed many lives and property. “There should be true reconciliations among the victims of insurgency,” he said, adding that as the military continue to sustain the offensives against Islamic State of West Africa Province (ISWAP) terrorists. There should also be periodic briefing on the activities of the surrendered terrorists to create awareness among members of the public. On the role of the North East Development Commission (NEDC), Lawan said: “The Commission as a matter of priority be engaged in all aspects of the rehabilitation and integration of Boko Haram repentant terrorists in the society.
