ABOUT 800 Boko Haram fighters have surrendered to the Nigerian Army and will be shown remorse and reintegrated into society under an amnesty programme that has just been launched called Operation Safe Corridor.
Earlier this week, the Nigerian Army announced that it would launch a scheme similar to the amnesty programme that was established for Niger Delta militants, under which repentant terrorists will be rehabilitated. Following the launch of the programme, 800 Boko Haram fighters have decided to accept the military's offer.
Having laid down their arms, the fighters will now be profiled, documented and offered training in new skills at several camps currently being set up. Up until now, militants who surrendered were held in jail awaiting trial and the Nigerian Army has been criticised for its treatment of Boko Haram insurgents and suspects.
Last June, Amnesty International said that 7,000 young men and boys had died in military detention in Nigeria since 2011. Defence chiefs hope that Operation Safe Corridor will persuade other militants who are yet to renounce their membership of the jihadi group to do so.
It is also an attempt by the army to show that human rights will be respected, which was a key promise made by President Muhammadu Buhari when he came to power last year. Army spokesman Brigadier Rabe Abubakar, said there would be two or three camps opened by the military over the next few months to cater for the fighters.
Brigadier Abubakar added: “They will be very big and all facilities will be put in place to rehabilitate them to become good members of society. I believe the government will definitely ask the relevant agencies to do what is needful.
“The most important thing for us is to have them rehabilitated. Since they have shown remorse and come on board, I think it is our duty to ensure that we help them to become very productive members of this great country.”
Asked if the repentant militants would be paid whilst they underwent training, Brigadier Abubakar said things needed to be taken step by step. As commendable as this arrangement may be, there are many who doubt if the communities across the northeast are ready to accept the ex-terrorists.
It is likely that many victims of the cruelty of these former gunmen may find it difficult to forgive them, particularly as the majority of those displaced by the conflict have yet to return to their homes. Meanwhile, a committee set up by Nigeria’s defence minister is due to submit its report on how areas liberated from Boko Haram should be handed back to civilian authorities.
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