Repentant Boko Haram Insurgent Should Be Kept As Prisoners Of War- Ali Ndume

Senator representing Borno South Ali Ndume has said that repentant Boko Haram insurgents should be kept as prisoners of war instead of being reintegrated into the society.

The senator who in July kicked against the planned amnesty program for the insurgents held that the reintegration of repentant Boko Haram insurgent into the society was not going to bring the required peace in the North-east region.

It will be recalled that the military in 2016  launched Operation Safe Corridor, a program set up for the deradicalization and rehabilitation of former Boko Haram fighters.

However, 602 ex-Boko Haram members in July completed the de-radicalization, rehabilitation, and reintegration (DRR) program.

Read Also: Insecurity In Northeast Overwhelming Our Security Operatives - Ndume

Speaking with journalists recently, Ndume who frowned at the development said the military ought to keep these former insurgents as “prisoners of war.”

“The war must be over before we start doing that. The military could open up the corridor, allow everybody to enter and start profiling them and keep them somewhere as prisoners of war and train them.

“The current arrangement where the repentant insurgents are granted amnesty without apologizing to the victims and the state cannot bring about the required peace,” he said.

Further commending soldiers deployed to Northeast for their efforts and wonderful performance despite the challenges confronting the military Ndume said:

“At Ngoshe for instance, the military personnel there, apart from repelling the attacks from the insurgents, have mobilized resources to start rebuilding, through direct labour, houses that were destroyed by the Boko Haram fighters." 

AllNews had earlier reported that Ndume warned the President Muhammadu Buhari led administration against rehabilitating repentant Boko haram insurgent.

According to him, the rehabilitation was unacceptable.