When the news filtered in on August 14, 2021, that a large member of members of Boko Haram and Islamic State of West Africa Province had voluntarily surrendered to theNigerian Army, many did not welcome the development whole-heartedly. Many others received it with a pinch of salt. Days later, Cameroon’s government, on August 10, said its National Committee for Disarmament, Demobilization and Reintegration centre in Meri, a northern town on the border with Nigeria, had 967 former jihadist militants. A week ago, there were about 700 former Boko Haram fighters and their families at the centre. The Cameroonian government, in a statement, also announced another conflicting large number of Boko Haram and ISWAP fighters had surrendered, noting that they had already “shipped” them to Nigeria due to their overwhelming number.
The question is if the large number announced by the Nigerian Army’s spokesman, Brigadier General Onyema Nwachukwu, has any corelation with the figure of repentant terrorists being brandished by the Cameroonian officials. If, so, what was the haste in feeding Nigerians with half truth? What is wrong if the truth was announced stating the fact that this large number of Boko Haram fighters and ISWAP jihadist terrorists? Many have asked if there is a United Nations medal for any country announcing such large numbers of terrorists as having surrendered.
Those who surrendered would go through the Safe Corridor Programme, which was launched in 2016 for the de-radicalisation, rehabilitation and re-integration (DRR) of ex-insurgents in the country. Let’s accept it that a large number of the terrorists have surrendered. After all, we witnessed the ceremony and many were taken aback when, at the ceremony, religious leaders and the fearless Shehu of Borno, Abubakar El-Kanemi, said the idea to de-radicalise these terrorists through the Operation Safe Corridor, was “a welcome” idea, but that the people will continue to be haunted by the horrors of the 12-year insurgency, especially residents of communities where the repentant insurgents are to be incorporated.
“It’ll be difficult to accept repentant Boko Haram members in our communities. It will be very difficult if not impossible for us to reintegrate the repentant insurgents into our destroyed communities,” he said, noting that Bama township and its college of education were flattened by Boko Haram in September 2014. Emphatically the Shehu of Borno said, “It is easy to forgive for the destruction of many lives and property, but difficult to forget the wanton loss of lives in the various communities of my chiefdom.”
The Emir was speaking the mind of many citizens of Borno. The horrors and nightmares many of them have passed through on account of the evil that was unleashed by these terrorists cannot be quantified. But these terrorists are their brothers and sisters. They have blood relationship with many families. If really they have repented, there must be fruits of repentance. We saw none of them in tears. We saw none of them kneeling down. lnstead all we witnessed was a rehashed caricature drama. Some carrying placards bearing the same handwriting with the inscription, “Nigerians please forgive us”; “Peace is the only way.”
This is very unfortunate. Like many others before them, who over the months had escaped back into the forest to be reunited and passing informations to their group.
Apart from the initial excitement, I painstakingly tried to see if I could see tears flowing down their faces. Behold, there was nothing like that. One thing is clear, when sinners repent of their sins and are asking for forgiveness, and are in penitent mood, they inretrospect, remember all the people that had died through the bullets from their illegally acquired firearms. They were expected to be penitent and remorseful and not displaying such emotionless traits. Some of them barely raised their hands above their heads in the air indicating surrender.
Many things crossed my mind. Are these men and women really tired of living in the bush like monkeys? Are they truly repentant as declared by the army spokesman Brigadier General Onyema Nwachukwu? The Cameroonian government claimed there are a total of 1,081, that is 335 fighters, 746 adult women and children, including one of the abducted Chibok girls, plus an additional 967 former jihadist militants who had earlier surrendered in Meri, a northern town on the border of Cameroon and Nigeria .
The presence of this group has further heightened suspicion that the cooked-up surrender might after all not be the brain child of Boko Haram leaders. The marriage between Boko Haram and ISWAP should be deeply analysed.
After all, while Boko Haram concentrate more on civilian targets, ISWAP’s main targets are military formations. Many have argued that the targetting of military formations of the multinational forces comprised of Cameroon, Chad and Nigeria, began when the late Boko Haram leader Abubakar Shekau formally extended a hand of fellowship to ISIS.
The global terrorist organization immediately ceded its franchise by creating ISWAP to collaborate with Boko Haram, a union that didn’t last because of differences in operational strategy and ideology. Record shows that, in October 2020, ISIS encouraged ISWAP to become financially self-sustaining, sharing lessons from its experience governing portions of Iraq and Syria. No wonder there are lots of kidnappings for huge ransom in Nigeria and Cameron. ISWAP leaders are known for their cunning ways and one may not be wrong if the dramatized surrender was not a ploy to study the Nigeria military. Most of ISWAP members, especially their commanders have had military training before being bathed in radical Islamic ideology. Since collaborating with Boko Haram, it had attacked military base in Sandawadjiri, in the far north Mayo-Sava region, and five attacks on Cameroonian military were carried out. Same with Nigeria and Chad.
It is believed that the ISWAP shift in targeting military formations could have numerous explanations. Security observers reason that ISWAP has negotiated with local commanders to gain control over former JAS-dominated zones. These commanders may have been persuaded to adopt ISWAP’s approach of targeting military bases rather than civilians.
This is part of ISWAP’s strategies. The group aims to establish a new social contract with communities by posturing as an alternative to the state and deceptively departing from Shekau’s frequent attacks on civilian populations. Surprisingly, among those who surrendered was Musa Adamu, the alleged chief bomb expert of the sect, and his second-in-command, Usman Adamu, known as Abu Darda.
One could, therefore, see the surrender as government’s gain. Government should seclude them in a farm project, since they are responsible for the agricultural deficit the country is experiencing.
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New police blood, new energy (1)
Medical practitioners will tell you that when new blood is infused into an anemic body, a lot is expected. The body organs are reinvigorated. This experience could be what Nigerians are witnessing around a once-anemic institution that needs revival, with the recent appointment of 13 new police commissioners by the Inspector-General of Police, Baba Alkali Usman. The new appointees, who are to take charge of the state commands, have shown Nigerians that they have something to offer and they are not round pegs in square holes.
(To be continued)