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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.
The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) has declared four individuals wanted over the alleged fraud perpetrated on crypto bridge exchange (CBEX), a trading platform.
The four suspects are Adefowora Olanipekun, Adefowora Oluwanisola, Emmanuel Uko, and Seyi Oloyede.
More to follow…
The Oodua Integrity Group, a Nigerian civil society organisation, has called on Inspector General of Police (IGP) Kayode Egbetokun to investigate and arrest an alleged gun runner, land grabber,popularly called then insert Lucky Blessings Abuah aka bullets of Achala Ibusa village operating in Asaba and Ibuzor, Delta State, accusing him of orchestrating criminal activities with the aid of rogue police officers.
Tosin Olaoluwa, the group’s South-South coordinator, made the appeal following intelligence gathered from concerned residents.
The suspect, identified as Achala Ibusa but popularly known as “Bullet,” is accused of running a network involving illegal arms trafficking, land grabbing, and cult-related activities.
Olaoluwa claimed Bullet operates with the protection of police officers from Rivers State, in violation of regulations prohibiting officers from working outside their command without approval.
According to the group, four AK-47 rifles were recently discovered hidden in a house in Ibuzor.
Two mobile police officers guarding the property reportedly distanced themselves from the find, raising suspicions of their involvement with Bullet, who is allegedly a leader of the Viking cult.
The Oodua Integrity Group further alleged that an assistant commissioner of police is complicit in Bullet’s activities.
The group highlighted that up to 10 mobile police officers are attached to Bullet, despite IGP Egbetokun’s recent directive to withdraw such personnel from individuals not legally entitled to their services.
“We urge the IGP to take immediate action to arrest the culprit in the interest of the general public,” Olaoluwa said, describing Bullet as a miscreant exploiting government security agents to perpetrate crimes.
In a separate incident, the group claimed that security agents from an agency in Abuja, acting on intelligence, were prevented from arresting Bullet by his police escorts.
The officers, reportedly from Rivers State, allegedly used tear gas and fired shots to obstruct the operation.
The Oodua Integrity Group warned that Bullet’s activities, including stockpiling AK-47s and other weapons in Asaba and Ibuzor, pose a significant threat to public safety.
They called for a thorough investigation into the allegations and the immediate apprehension of those involved.
The Nigeria Police Force has yet to respond to the allegations. Efforts to reach a spokesperson for comment were unsuccessful at the time of reporting.
The competition and consumer protection tribunal has upheld the $220 million fine imposed on Meta Platforms Incorporated by the Federal Competition and Consumer Protection Commission (FCCPC).
In a statement on Friday by Ondaje Ijagwu, the agency’s director for corporate affairs, FCCPC said the tribunal also awarded $35,000 to the commission as the cost of investigation.
On July 19, 2024, FCCPC imposed a fine of $220 million on Meta, the parent company of WhatsApp, Facebook, and Instagram, for multiple data privacy violations.
However, Meta said it would appeal the fine.
The case stemmed from a 38-month joint investigation by the FCCPC and the Nigeria Data Protection Commission (NDPC) into the privacy practices and consumer data policies of WhatsApp and Meta.
Delivering judgment on Thursday in Abuja, the tribunal led by Thomas Okosun ruled that the FCCPC acted within its constitutional and statutory powers in investigating and sanctioning the companies for alleged anti-competitive and exploitative practices.
The tribunal dismissed the appeals filed by Meta and WhatsApp, which challenged the legal basis of the commission’s findings and orders.
Instead, it upheld the commission’s position on nearly all contested issues.
Gbolahan Elias (SAN) led WhatsApp and Meta’s legal teams, while Babatunde Irukera led the FCCPC’s legal team.
According to the statement, both teams had made their final arguments on behalf of their respective clients on January 28.
‘FCCPC ADHERED TO DUE PROCESS’
The tribunal, in its ruling, found that the FCCPC adhered to due process and acted within the law.
It resolved issues one to seven primarily in favour of the commission.
“The Tribunal resolved Issues 1 to 7 largely in favour of the FCCPC, dismissing the appellants’ objections to the Commission’s findings, orders, and legal competence,” the statement reads.
“One of the central issues (Issue 3), which alleged a breach of fair hearing, was decided in favour of the Commission, with the Tribunal affirming that the FCCPC fully discharged its quasi-judicial responsibilities by affording the appellants ample opportunity to respond.
“The Tribunal found no violation of constitutional due process.
“On Issue 4, which questioned the Commission’s powers in data protection and privacy, the Tribunal held that the FCCPC acted within its statutory mandate, reaffirming its authority under Section 104 of the FCCPA to regulate competition and consumer protection even in regulated industries.
“On Issue 5, which challenged the Commission’s findings regarding Meta’s privacy policies, the tribunal also resolved in the FCCPC’s favour.
“The Tribunal found no error in the Commission’s conclusions and held that the privacy policy in question did, in fact, offend Nigerian law.
“While issue 7 was largely resolved in favour of the commission, the tribunal set aside Order 7 of the commission’s final order, stating that it lacked sufficient legal basis.”
Commenting on the judgment, Tunji Bello, executive vice chairman (EVC) and chief executive officer (CEO) of the FCCPC, welcomed the ruling, describing it as a landmark judgment reinforcing the commission’s mandate to protect consumers and ensure fair market practices.
He commended the commission’s legal team for their diligence.
Bello reaffirmed the commission’s commitment to enforcing the provisions of the Federal Competition and Consumer Protection Act (FCCPA) in line with President Bola Tinubu’s renewed hope agenda.