Arewa Elders to FG: Bring Repentant Boko Haram Members to Trial

• More reactions continue to trail the plan by the federal government to reintegrate repentant Boko Haram members into the society
• A prominent northern group, Arewa Consultative Forum, has joined those rejecting the plan by the government
• Borno state governor, Professor Babagana Zulum, had earlier warned that the reintegration by cause civil unrest

Kaduna - The Arewa Consultative Forum has kicked against the reintegration of repentant Boko Haram insurgents into society.

The national chairman of the group, Chief Audu Ogbeh, said the repentant Boko Haram members should be prosecuted for the crimes committed against Nigerians.

Ogbeh said this in a statement released by the spokesman of the ACF, Emmanuel Yawe, and seen by Legit.ng on Tuesday, August 17.

Part of the statement read:

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“We are currently witnessing large scale surrender of large numbers of Boko Haram insurgents, among whom are bomb makers, commanders, arsonists, rapists, and child snatchers.

“Do we have good reason to cheer and hope for an end to this decade-old insanity? Is ‘I am sorry’ enough to bring relief to Nigerians and the thousands of the dead and the m*aimed? What of those victims bombed in the churches, mosques, schools, and markets? What of all the men and women in uniform murdered by them?

“Who can count the thousands of widows and orphans they have created?

“So, what do we do with them? Should we just embrace them and trust them wholesale? Are their moves informed by altruistic repentance? We seriously doubt it.

“Our simple advice is: Bring them to trial, or free all others presently in custody anywhere, while we Nigerians plead guilty of naivety and gullibility in the extreme, punishable by more insurrection and anarchy.”

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The Guardian newspaper reports that Governor Babagana Zulum of Borno state has declared that reintegrating repented Boko Haram terrorists into the state is disastrous.

According to him, the current security situation, if not collectively handled by stakeholders, could lead to a civil rebellion.

Meanwhile, the presidency has announced that President Muhammadu Buhari will convene a crucial meeting with the current security chiefs on Thursday, August 19.

Garba Shehu, a presidential media aide, stated in a Facebook post on Tuesday, August 17, that the meeting will be an avenue in which the security heads will bring the president up to speed with their latest achievements in the fight against insurgency.

Shehu noted that recently, organised and successful operations by the military have forced terrorists to lay down their arms and surrender themselves to troops.

On its part, the Nigerian Army has cleared the air on why it cannot kill surrendered Boko Haram terrorists as some Nigerians have demanded.

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Boko Haram: We may not accept repentant insurgents into our communities, Borno monarchs tells Army

Brigadier-General Onyema Nwachukwu, the Army spokesperson, said a global convention which Nigeria is signatory does not give room for that.

Nwachukwu further explained that it is not within the powers of the military to prosecute the terrorists.

Source: Legit.ng