They looked radiant in their immaculate white uniform. Government decided to rehabilitate them because they claimed to have repented from committing atrocious acts against Nigerians. They are called repentant Boko Haram fighters. But behind this facade of repentance and radiance lies some landmines that could cause terrible heartache to many families in Nigeria.
Recently, over 600 of these repentant terrorists completed the de-radicalisation programme of the Federal Government. They are now ready to be reintegrated into the communities. The military had earlier released and resettled about 1,400 of them into the society.
The military high command defended this initiative, saying it was only targeted at low-risk Boko Haram members not captured during combat. The Federal Government had initiated Operation Safe Corridor in 2016 to de-radicalise these repentant militants. Those captured during combat are reportedly processed for prosecution.
In a similar move, the Senate, in February this year, proposed a bill titled, “National Agency for Education, Rehabilitation, De-radicalisation and Integration of Repentant Insurgents in Nigeria 2020.” The bill proposes that funding for the agency should come from the Universal Basic Education Commission (UBEC) and Tertiary Education Trust Fund (TETFUND). It also proposes other sources of funding to include donations, grants, funding from the six North-East states and annual subventions from the government.
Hardly had the bill, sponsored by Senator Ibrahim Geidam representing Yobe East, passed the first reading when it attracted angry reactions from some stakeholders. The Chibok community, the Christian Association of Nigeria and some others kicked against it.
Some widows and other victims of Boko Haram terrorism had frowned seriously on this amnesty programme. In an interview with the BBC recently, a widow said, “I have not received any assistance. I am left with four children. The kind of life we live now is, some days we eat, some other days we have nothing to eat, and then you (government) say ‘Boko Haram fighters have repented,’ and you take care of them.”
Many other widows had lamented their plight and demanded justice and prosecution of the ex-militants.
I don’t blame these widows. Firstly, the mood is not yet ripe for amnesty for terrorists in Nigeria. Secondly, their murderous activities are on the rise almost on a daily basis. And the victims, most of whom are not properly taken care of, are still nursing their wounds in agony.
The parents of Miss Leah Sharibu are typical examples. Their daughter was among the 110 schoolgirls kidnapped from their school in 2018 in Dapchi, Yobe State. In 2014, over 200 schoolgirls from Chibok had suffered the same fate. The girls regained their freedom after many months in captivity. But Miss Sharibu is still in their custody. Her crime is that she is a Christian who refused to renounce her faith.
Besides, insurgents, some of who may be among the ‘repentant’ ones, recently killed at least 30 innocent travellers in a town called Auno in Borno State. They burnt most of the victims to death while sleeping in their vehicles during an overnight stop and abducted some women and children.
Senator Ali Ndume, representing Borno South in the Senate, had lamented that, in Borno State alone, about 1.7 million people had been displaced, 60,000 children orphaned and about $9.6 billion lost to the insurgency. Experts estimate that over 35,000 people have died in Nigeria since Boko Haram started its terror campaign in 2009. Over two million others have been displaced from their homes. In 2018 alone, 2,040 people were killed. This reportedly represents a 33 per cent increase on the figure for 2017, which was 1,532.
Since 2015, Nigeria has remained the third most terrorised country in the world. The current Global Terrorism Index shows that we are only better than Iraq and Afghanistan which ranked first and second respectively. Even Syria, Pakistan, and Somalia are better than Nigeria.
Ironically, while Nigerian soldiers are getting increasingly restive and depressed over poor welfare and sundry issues, their supposed enemies are pampered in the name of amnesty. Recently, about 356 of these soldiers opted to leave the army, citing loss of interest. Last week, a depressed soldier went berserk in Bama, Borno State, and shot an officer dead.
Some people have tried to justify this amnesty for Boko Haram by comparing it with the 2009 Presidential Amnesty Programme for Niger Delta militants. The two situations are not the same. Boko Haram is known worldwide as a terrorist organisation whose main agenda is to transform Nigeria into an Islamic state. But the Niger Delta militants were driven by socio-economic needs, resource control, and equitable distribution of wealth. Since the late President Umaru Musa Yar’Adua granted them unconditional pardon in 2009, the frequent shutdown of oil facilities experienced in the height of the agitation drastically reduced.
What is required currently in the Boko Haram case is sincerity of purpose. The government intends to gain greater understanding of the insurgents through the amnesty programme. This is aimed at knocking down the deadly ideology of the group. Part of the problem, however, is that it is not certain how government will determine genuine repentant terrorists and fake ones.
Feigning repentance is part of the strategies of insurgents to infiltrate communities and cause more havoc. Some of the so-called repentant fighters could actually be spies sent on a reconnaissance mission. Senator Ali Ndume representing Borno South in the Senate said this much last week following reports that a repentant Boko Haram member killed his father, stole his wealth and disappeared after reintegration.
Ndume said, “They are like Kharajites. Many among those released have since run away. They will never repent. The government should know what to do about them, but not reintroducing someone to you, who has killed your parents or your relations.”
He asked government to stop the programme and rather train those in the Internally Displaced Persons’ camps in various vocations.
The Federal Government may need to consult such countries as Iraq, Pakistan and Somalia, which run variegated forms of amnesty programmes. In Pakistan, Ehsanullah Ehsan, the Taliban terrorist who shot Nobel Prize winner and female education campaigner, Malala Yousafzai, in 2012, purportedly got amnesty after he surrendered in 2017. Pakistani military officials had claimed he was an important counter-terror asset who gave them secret tips about the operations of the Taliban. They paid him monthly stipend to enable him to start a new life. Ironically, Ehsan fled Pakistan in February this year and has been talking about human rights abuses in that country.
Going forward, our own government must devise means of deciphering terrorists who repented genuinely and those who are fake. In doing this, it must realise that both Nigerian and international laws require that gross violators of human rights are prosecuted and that the fundamental rights of victims are protected. Hence, it must factor the feelings of the victims of insurgency in its counterinsurgency measures. This means it must take good care of the victims of terrorism just as it is rehabilitating the terrorists.
Above all, it must not hesitate to take drastic actions against terrorism. The military must be equipped to take the war to the terrorists’ hideouts. And all prisoners of war must be made to face the full weight of our anti-terrorism laws.
Re: Nigeria, a nation crippled by public servants
Dear Casmir, corruption is one single factor that has held down the development of this supposedly great nation. When the present government came on board, not a few believed that the system will be purged of corruption in view of the purported integrity of the current president and the anti-graft mantra of the ruling party. This has turned out to be all flux. Any instituted probe is now regarded by Nigerians as mere grandstanding as earlier probes have failed to yield desired results that could serve as deterrent to others.
– Idongesit Inyang, Uyo, 08084318845.
Nobody is talking about Ikenna Nweke simply because he is from the most hated tribe in Niaja, but if the story is the opposite, the story will be everywhere on how the Igbo are smearing the image of the nation.
– Ovuta Sunday, +2348112222545
Sir, may you live long, including your well-wishers, relatives, family, friends, admirers and my very self but minus our foes. Having dreamt and or prophesied capital punishment as applied in Asian continent, sometime, someday, it will be applicable here.
— Raru Joo, +2348037408332
Dear Casmir, to quarantine corruption, we have to use espionage on offices by spying officials. Whistle blowing should be taken serious. Eligibility committee should be inaugurated by INEC in parties to assess the moral status of politicians before being allowed to contest.
– Cletus Frenchman, Enugu, +2349095385215
In the early eighties, Ovie Whiskey the then FEDECO boss swore he would faint at the mere sight of a fresh bundle of N1 million. Now, our public servants have seen and also played with hundreds of millions, billions and even trillions of Naira, yet none has fainted, and may never faint. State of the art estates and traffic-stopping cars occasioned by high level corruption now adorn the Nigerian space while the not-so-opportune Nigerians can’t say with certainty when the next meal comes for their families. I am on the same page with Cletus Frenchman that for a start there should be in place a process of cleaning up of our school system, churches/mosques and other social entities knowing that these are the nurseries/breeding grounds of corrupt practices.
– Edet Essien Esq. Cal. South, +2348037952470
If not that it is undemocratic, Nigerian army should take steps of Jerry Rawlings of Ghana to teach our wicked leaders a lesson over corruption.
– Gordon Chika Nnorom, Umukabia, +2348062887535
Casmir, it seems most, if not all, public institutions in the country, namely: EFCC, NDDC, NEDC, NSITF etc are now more involved in an unannounced ‘stealing competition’ to decide ‘who steals the most’. We need a ‘Ballon d’ disgrace day’ in Nigeria where a roll call of ‘top 50’ convicted corrupt Nigerians should be published on yearly basis and the stolen amounts included in descending order to shame them.
– Mike, Mushin, +2348161114572
Dear Casy, the two institutions that checkmate evil men in any great nation all over the world – the judiciary and police – are not in place in this geo entity called Nigeria. The executive, legislature and the judiciary arms of government in Nigeria are corrupt.
-Eze Chima C. Lagos, +2347036225495
Casmir, corruption in Nigeria is the major setback to our national development. The attitude of the public to ill gotten wealth makes it more deadly. Fela, the legendary afro beat musician, told us that Authority stealing passed armed robbery. According to him, pen is more powerful than gun.
– Pharm Okwuchukwu Njike, +234 803 885 4922