Boko Haram: We May Not Accept Repentant Insurgents Into Our Communities, Borno Monarchs Tells Army
- The Shehu of Borno, Abubakar El-Kanemi, has expressed concern over the plan by Nigerian Army to reintegrate repentant Boko Haram insurgents into the communities
- Ali Ndume, the chairman of the Senate Committee on the Nigerian Army, had warned the Army not to pamper the insurgents
- Shehu noted that the people would continue to be haunted by the horrors of the 12-year insurgency if the repentant insurgents are integrated into communities
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Maiduguri, Borno - Following the advice given to the Nigerian Army by Senator Ali Ndume, traditional and religious leaders in Borno have said it would be difficult to reintegrate repentant Boko Haram members into their communities.
TheCable reports that the leaders expressed fear over the de-radicalisation of repentant members of Boko Haram by the Nigerian Army under its Safe Corridor programme.
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Legit.ng gathered that Shehu of Borno, Abubakar El-Kanemi, said the idea is a welcomed one, but that the people would continue to be haunted by the horrors of the 12-year insurgency, especially residents of communities where the repentant insurgents are to be incorporated.
He said:
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“The Safe Corridor programme of the Army led to the de-radicalisation 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.”
The monarch added that Bama township and its college of education were flattened by Boko Haram in September 2014, saying the insurgents reportedly killed 13 district heads and several ward heads in 16 LGAs in Borno.
El-Kanemi noted:
“It is easy to forgive for the destruction of many lives and property, but difficult to forget the wanton loss of lives in the various communities of my Chiefdom,” the Shehu of Borno said.
“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?”
The report said that on August 12, about 1000 members of Boko Haram reportedly surrendered to troops in Konduga, Gwoza and Bama in Borno.
It was gathered that those who surrendered would go through the Safe Corridor programme which was launched in 2016 for the de-radicalisation, rehabilitation and re-integration (DRR) of ex-insurgents in the country.
Senator Ndume tells Nigerian Army not to pamper repentant terrorist
Meanwhile, Legit.ng had previously reported that the chairman of the Senate Committee on the Nigerian Army, Senator Ali Ndume, said the repentant Boko Haram insurgents should not be pampered.
It was reported that Ndume's message to the Army on Thursday, August 12, is that the former insurgents should be carefully profiled and not just given what he termed blanket amnesty and pampering.
The Borno federal lawmaker said instead of being in a hurry to resettle, reintegrate and rehabilitate the surrendered criminals, the military should hasten to end the reign of insurgency in Nigeria.
Source: Legit.ng
