Over recent months, the Nigerian Army has stepped up arrests across the northeast as part of a clampdown ion Boko Haram, incarcerating suspected terrorists. However, the sweeping nature of the arrests has meant that a lot of innocent people have been picked up too and to correct this, the cases of some of them are being reviewed.
According to Major General Hassan Umaru, the theatre commander of the counter-insurgency operation against Boko Haram known as Operation Lafiya Dole, said the military decided to let them go free after they were found not guilty. According to General Umaru, the persons were properly profiled, screened and cleared to reunite with their families.
He spoke during the handover of the suspects that were picked from different locations in the state for alleged involvement in terrorism and insurgency to the Borno State government. Describing their detention as a sacrifice that was paid to bring peace to the troubled region, General Umaru said they were released in with the principle of justice, equity and fairness.
Major General Umaru revealed that 142 of the 275 detainees are males and 49 were females, while there were 22 under-aged males and 50 female children. He, however, added that eight cases that were criminal in nature would be handed over to the Nigerian Police Force for further investigation and possible prosecution.
Borno State governor, Kashim Shettima, while receiving the detainees on behalf of their families, commended the military for being fair. He promised that the government would assist the released detainees to start a new life and the children among them will be returned to school.
Brigadier Victor Ezugwu, the general officer commanding the Seventh Mechanised Division of the Nigerian Army in Maiduguri said the military would continue to respect the fundamental rights of the people in the area of its operations. He urged those still living in areas under Boko Haram control to move closer to military locations where they would be protected.
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