Residents, traditional and religious leaders have raised ‘fears and doubts’ over the surrender of over 1,000 Boko Haram terrorists to the military in Borno. Their fears were based on the de-radicalization of 603 repentant terrorists by the Nigerian Army under its Safe Corridor programme. While responding to the increased recent surrender of terrorists to troops Friday, the Shehu of Borno, Alhaji Abubakar Umar Garbai El-Kanemi, said that; “Their surrender to the military; was a welcome development to both the State Government and victims of terrorism. “The Safe Corridor programme of the Army led to the de-radicalization of repentant terrorists in Gombe state. But it will be very difficult if not impossible for us to reintegrate the repentant insurgents into our destroyed communities,” adding that Bama township and its College of Education; were flattened by Boko Haram in September, 2014. He said the fears of the people over the 12-year insurgency still remain and will continue to haunt members of the communities, where the surrendered terrorists are to be re-integrated. He lamented that 13 district heads and many ward heads were also killed in the over a decade insurgency in his emirate; comprising 16 Local Government Areas in the state.
On whether the repentant terrorists be forgiven, he however, said: “It is easy to forgive for the destruction of many lives and property, but difficult to forget the wanton lost of lives in the various communities of my Chiefdom.” He said the same applies to the seven other emirates in the state, adding that; “Many people were killed along with their property for 12 years. And you people and the media expect us to forget and forgive the repentant terrorists?”
Citing a resident who lost an eight member family, the monarch declared: “If the repentant terrorists killed the entire family, the survivor will definitely pursue the reintegrated insurgent for revenge no matter where he goes or live in the country.” He warned that it will be difficult and dicey to allow the repentant terrorists to live in their respective communities. Chairman of the Senate Committee on Army, Sen. Mohammed Ali Ndume, also reiterated: “It should not be blanket amnesty and pampering,” stating that it is after citizens, who bore the brunt of the conflict have been satisfactorily resettled.
“This is when the nation can begin to talk about how to reintegrate those who have wreaked havoc in the country and are now pleading for mercy.” On how to reintegrate the terrorists, Ndume, who represents Borno south senatorial district, said: “The first step after getting the surrendered terrorists, is the resettlement of about 1.7 million displaced persons. “Now that the war is getting to an end. Then we talk of profiling, investigating and interrogating the surrendered terrorists from the forest and Lake Chad region.” He expressed confidence in the new leadership of the Armed Forces, emphasizing that the well-coordinated inter-agency cooperation among the security agencies will yield results.
A Maiduguri resident, Mallam Aminu Isa also told The Guardian yesterday that the people have raised a lot of fears for allowing the repentant terrorists into their communities. He noted that residents and the Army are still doubting on the genuineness of terrorists’ surrender from the Sambisa Forests and Lake Chad region. He disclosed that the over 1,000 surrendered terrorists could be to “spy or recruit” for Boko Haram and Islamic State of West Africa Province (ISWAP) to continue with their terrorists activities.
A top police officer in Maiduguri disclosed that the ongoing counter-terrorism of the Army has blocked the supplies of food and other logistics to the insurgents in forest.“Most of the dirt roads into the forest and lake have been flooded,” he said, noting that it has become very difficult to ferry most of the food supplies the terrorists depend on to fight troops and the police. The Acting Director, Defense Media Operations, Brig-Gen. Bernard Onyeuko disclosed: “Our troops have recently killed 27 insurgents with the arrests of 51 others,” stating that a cache of arms and ammunition were also recovered on the fringes of forest and shores of the lake. He added that as of August 12, 2021, about 1,000 Boko Haram terrorists surrendered to the troops at Konduga, Gwoza and Bama in Borno state
