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Army, Ministry, ONSA Hold Seminar on Managing Repentant Terrorists
The Chief of Army Staff (COAS), Lt.-Gen. Faruk Yahaya, has called on Nigerians to play active role in tackling insurgency in the country.
Yahaya made the call during a 3-Day Seminar on the Rehabilitation of Repentant Insurgents in the North East with the theme, ” Rehabilitation of Repentant Insurgents in Nigeria; Issues, Challenges and Sustainability”, on Tuesday in Abuja.
The seminar was organised by the Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs, Disaster Management and Social Development, Office of the National Security Adviser and the Nigerian Army Resource Centre.
He said the workshop was part of national effort to develop viable strategy for the management of surrendered insurgents in the North East.
According to him, the kinetic efforts of the military, especially the Nigerian army, has led to the surrender of over 87,000 terrorists and their families in the region.
He said that all those who surrendered had laid down their arms and embraced peace.
“As we celebrate this achievement, it is important we know that it has its numerous challenges on troops operational activities, logistic support and above all, the morale of those performing their constitutional roles in the region.
“There is also the issue of local populace’s acceptance of the repentant and surrendered terrorists back to their local communities, and also the effect of such mass surrender on the three tiers of government,” he said.
Yahaya said the military, alongside other security agencies had performed creditably well to ensure that the surrounded insurgents were humanely treated.
This, according to him, has been in line with the core values of the military of treating people humanely irrespective of their involvement in criminalities and killings.
He said the responsibility for the rehabilitation and reintegration of the repentant terrorists were far beyond the responsibilities of the army or security agencies.
“Here before us are these challenges staring at us and our strategic allies. Each organization and institution needs to understand the problem at hand.
“The requirement for the management of these surrendered ex-combatants while balancing same with those of the communities and individuals who are victims of their actions.
“Above all, we must understand and be ready, willing and able to perform our different roles for the benefit of the system and mankind,” the COAS said.
Yahaya acknowledged that the task was enormous and not an easy one, as all activities involved must be conducted simultaneously.
He advised terrorists still in the bush to embrace peace, warning that the armed forces remained committed to securing the nation.
The Minister of Humanitarian Affairs, Disaster Management and Social Development, Hajiya Sadiya Umar-Farouq, said the seminar was designed to identify gaps and come up with road map for interventions.
The minister, who was represented by the Permanent Secretary, Dr Nasir Gwarzo, said the seminar would also showcase the best practice in civil-security relationship in providing sustainable humanitarian intervention.
She said that the Boko Haram insurgency had brought untold hardship, destruction and loss of lives to the people of the North East and the nation at large.
According to her, it is important to understand that a non-international armed conflict perpetuated by the insurgents comes with a peculiar kind of challenge like the issue of rehabilitation of repentant and surrendered Boko Haram members.
She said that amnesty and rehabilitation had become a viable option towards peace building and strategy to end the conflict.
“Unfortunately, the perpetrators of this ghastly acts are our kindred, members of our families, friends, and neighbours.
“Therefore, it makes the issue of amnesty, rehabilitation and reintegration into the same communities they have harmed very dicey, if not handled properly.
“For example, how do you rehabilitate and reintegrate those repentant persons without upsetting the host communities or societies into which they will be reintegrated,” she said.
The minister said the federal government had sustained support to Borno Government through its “Borno Model” in handling the mass surrender of the terrorists.
The Special Adviser on Security to Borno Governor, retired Brig.-Gen. Abdullahi Ishaq, who represented Gov. Babagana Zulum, said the mass surrender of terrorists was a result of Zulum’s initiatives.
Ishaq said the state government had demonstrated strong will to end insurgency in the state and the North East region, adding that over 4,000 low risk repentant terrorists had been reintegrated back to their communities.
He urged the federal government to increase its intervention to help the state to manage the continuous surge in the number of surrendered fighters and their families.
According to him, the Borno model has encouraged the terrorists to come out enmass because of the sincerity of the government.
The Director General, Nigerian Army Resource Centre, retired Maj.-Gen. Garba Wahab, said it was important to agree on how to manage the huge number of repentant terrorists and their rehabilitation before talking about reintegration.
He said it was the responsibility of each and every stakeholder and communities to agree on how the repentant terrorists could be reintegrated.
Aides, Allies Disown Him, Say You’re a Traitor, We’re not Leaving PDP
Barely two weeks after his defection from the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) to the All Progressives Congress (APC), crisis has enveloped the political camp of a member of the House of Representatives for Obokun/Oriade federal constituency in Osun State, Oluwole Oke.
Indeed, these are not the best of times for him as his defection to the APC is eliciting rejection from his close circles and constituency.
His key allies who he groomed into politics and government positions have rejected his calls on them to join him to defect to the APC.
A source said that in the last few days, key aides and allies of the lawmaker have rejected his movement to the APC, describing it as a political tragedy.
“With the way he betrayed PDP, Oluwole Oke is like the proverbial Leopard that can never change the spots on its body. He will also betray the APC. We are staying back in PDP while severing political links with him”, one of his allies, Bamidele Johnson said.
Some of his allies were said to have openly declared that the defection marks a political waterloo for the 6th term legislator.
For instance, some of Oke’s allies in his Local Government scorned his move as “a decision borne out of greed and selfishness.”
One of them described him as “an ingrate who betrayed a party on whose platform he got married in life as a lawmaker and on whose platform he gained all his material riches.”
The Northern Youths Consultative Forum for Justice (NYCJ) has urged Nigerian President Bola Tinubu to declare a state of emergency in Zamfara State, citing a complete breakdown of governance, law, and order.
In a statement issued on Monday in Kano, NYCJ President Dr Sanusi Rano described the situation in Zamfara as “organised abandonment of duty” by elected officials.
“What we are witnessing in Zamfara is not governance. It is betrayal of the people,” Rano said, pointing to the absence of a functional state House of Assembly and allegations linking officials to criminal activities.
The group highlighted the suspension of 10 lawmakers who spoke out against the deteriorating security situation, arguing that their removal has left Zamfara without a legally recognised legislative body.
“This is a dictatorship of silence,” said Rano, adding that the lack of checks and balances has deepened the state’s crisis.
“The same hands that should protect Zamfara are profiting from its destruction,” Rano stated.
Calling for decisive action, the group demanded the appointment of a non-partisan administrator to rebuild the state’s institutions.
“If this is not done now, Zamfara risks becoming a permanent state of anarchy, which threatens our democracy,” Rano warned.
Justice Nwosu-Iheme of a Federal Capital Territory (FCT) High Court in Wuse Zone 2, Abuja, on Monday, sentenced the husband of late gospel singer, Osinachi, Peter Nwachukwu, to death by hanging.
Nwachukwu was found guilty of culpable homicide resulting in the death of the deceased ( his wife) on April 8, 2022.
The judge held that the prosecution had proven the burden of proof placed on it by the law and subsequently found the defendant guilty.
Nwachukwu was arraigned on June 3, 2022 by the Office of Attorney-General of the Federation (OAGF), on behalf of the Federal Government, on a 23-count charge .
The charge was on culpable homicide punishable with death, criminal intimidation, cruelty to children, criminal intimidation of children, spousal battery, among others.
In the course of trial, the prosecution called 17 witnesses, including two children of the late Osinachi, who testified as fourth prosecution and fifth prosecution witnesses, PW4 and PW5 respectively.
The prosecution also tendered 25 documents as exhibits before the court.
The defendant testified for the defence and further called four other witnesses and tendered four exhibits in his defence.
Shortly before sentencing, the defendant, counsel , Reginald Nwali, in his allocutus pleaded with the court to be lenient in its judgment.
Similarly, the prosecution counsel, Mrs Aderonke Imala, urged the court to give force to the law as stipulated.
Justice Nwosu-Iheme subsequently sentenced Nwachukwu to death by hanging on Count 1, while he was sentenced to two years imprisonment each on Counts 2, 3, 8,9, 12, 13, and 18.
The court sentenced the defendant to six months imprisonment on Count 10, three years imprisonment in Count 11, while he was fined the sum of N500,000 and N200,000 respectively on Counts 6 and 7 respectively. (NAN)