17 Boko Haram terrorists who surrender give crucial reasons for their decision

Some Boko Haram terrorists surrendered their weapons to the Nigerian army

They explained that they did after they heard President Buhari was granting them amnesty

They said they made up their mind to give their lives for freedom

Some 17 Boko Haram members who surrendered to the Nigerian military on Monday, said they did so because the Federal Government promised to offer them amnesty.

Ahmed Alhassan, one of the members, said this when Maj.-Gen. Rogers Nicholas, commander of Operation Lafiya Dole, presented them in Maiduguri.

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Alhassan said he and the 16 others heard President Buhari’s appeal through the radio when at their camp known as “Marcas of Nguma” at the shores of Lake Chad.

“We have been contemplating to surrender ourselves after we realised that we were recruited into a false movement.

“What pulled us back was the fear of being caught and killed by either our members or the military.

“But after the announcement by President Muhammadu Buhari on granting amnesty to those who surrender, drop their arms and accept peace, we decided to defy all the fears. That was why we eventually came out.

“We also made up our minds to sacrifice our lives in a bid to secure freedom, knowing fully that God will forgive us for attempting to embrace peace and stop the killings,’’ he said.

The suspect said that he was forcefully initiated by the Mamman Nur’s faction after the insurgents stormed their town in Munguno four years ago.

“They gathered all of us and selected some of us. They said we shall be working for the cause of God. Those who refused were eventually killed.

“Many have been conscripted and recruited. Some have spent one and half years , some two and some of us have spent four years,” he said.

He commended the military for treating them with respect and dignity, urging other members to embrace the Federal Government’s peace avenue to surrender.

“We eat the best of food and sleep in a conductive atmosphere.

We are also allowed to interact with some of our colleagues. They listen to us and share our pain,“ he said.

Mustapha Umar, another suspect, who claimed to be from Abubakar Shekau’s faction, said he had worked as a commanding officer for the group for about three years.

Umar said he laid down his arms because he was tired of the atrocities being committed under the guise of fighting for the religion of Islam

“We realised that the group was serving the cause of the devil by committing all forms of atrocities. There was a lot of hardship in the camps. Many have been killed by one form of disease or the other.

“I am happy to be out here. The military have been treating us very humanely and I want to ask for forgiveness for all the pain I may have inflicted on the people while fighting for the baseless cause,’’ he said.

In his remarks, Maj.-Gen. Roger Nicholas, The Theatre Commander of Operation Lafiya Dole, said that the 17 suspects willingly surrendered to the fighting troops and renounced their membership of Boko Haram.

Nicholas said that about 70 suspected Boko Haram members surrendered in Munguno and 60 in Bama, adding that many others had continued to drop arms in different designated military centres.

“You can see that they are finding it easier to surrender. We have our designated centres where such persons can come out and surrender and it is yielding result,” he said.

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Meanwhile, an alleged attack by suspected herdsmen on four villages in Adamawa state has reportedly left over 15 people dead.

The Sun reports that the villages attacked by the suspected herders included Bolki, Bang, Zumoso and Gon in Numan and Lamurde local government areas of the state.

The newspaper citing local sources, stated that herdsmen militia allegedly arrived the communities, on Wednesday night, May 2, on motocycles and hilux trucks, killing and burning down villages.

TY Danjuma, Nigerian army and the herdsmen crisis | Legit.ng TV

Source: Legit.ng