About 210 Boko Haram terrorists, including conscripted fighters and their families, have surrendered to troops of the Multinational Joint Task Force (MNJTF) operating under Sector 2 in Bol, Baga Sola.
According to MNJTF Chief Military Public Information Officer, Lt-Col. Olaniyi Osoba, the mass surrender followed intensified kinetic and non-kinetic operations in the region.
Lt-Col. Osoba stated that the surrendered terrorists confessed to have participated in various terrorist acts along the Bakatolerom, Barkalam, Litri, and Kaiga Ngbouboun axis of Lake Chad. Ten assorted weapons of various calibres were recovered from the terrorists.
This has sparked mixed reactions from members of the public who wonder why our Armed Forces would continue to adopt a procedure that has always boomeranged severally, yet they stock to such procedures
People who spoke to our correspondents on the developments said the military high command should be held responsible should any harm befall any solder again in the struggle to end terrorism in the country.
“How can they tell us that even one terrorist surrendered to the Armed Forces? Has there been anytime the terrorists got our security men and spared their lives?
“This is pure rubbish. When we say the military are responsible for the continued terrorism in Nigeria, they will call us names.
“Can you imagine? Didn’t former President Muhammad Buhari even recruit some of them into the Armed Forces and security agencies in the guide that they were repented Boko Haram terrorists, deradicalised terrorists, members of the JTF? What did they become in the end? Not murderers? Not people who provide information to the terrorists?
“This is bad news to us Nigerians. It’s also bad news to the families of soldiers and officers fighting terrorism. It all means government don’t want to end this malaise. It’s simple common sense,” they protested.
However, speaking, the Commander Sector 2/Operation Lake Chad, Maj-Gen. Moussa Haussa, commended the troops for their commitment in the fight against terrorists and urged them to maintain the momentum in their operations, emphasizing that there is no future for terrorism in the region.
He assured that those who surrendered would be treated humanely and would participate in the MNJTF’s deradicalisation programme.
The Governor of the Region of Lake Chad, Brig-Gen. Saleh Haggar Tidjani, welcomed the surrendered terrorists and stated that plans are underway to provide the former terrorists with a skills acquisition programme to facilitate their reintegration into the society.
The Military insist the surrender represents a major blow to Boko Haram’s operations in the Lake Chad region and underscores the effectiveness of the MNJTF’s comprehensive approach, combining military pressure with efforts to encourage defections and facilitate reintegration.
