₦airaland Forum

There are concerns that the plan by the military to release another set of repentant terrorists into society could subvert the progress made so far in the war against insurgency.

No fewer than 613 rehabilitated terrorists undergoing de-radicalisation are scheduled to be handed over by the military authorities to their respective state governors.

 This has, however, heightened fears that the repentant terrorists may have ulterior motives.

In July 2022, some repentant Boko Haram members, despite renouncing their membership of the terror group, were accused of having contact with their former colleagues.


The ex-terrorists were among the 800 persons who were recently reintegrated into the Bama community in Borno State and were resettled at the Government Girls Secondary School Bama.

The repentant terrorists, who were alleged to have sneaked out of Bama town, were said to have dealt in scrap metals with some Boko Haram terrorists in a market known as Daula located on the outskirts of Goniri village before the incident occurred.

Apart from this, the Kaduna State Governor, Nasir El-Rufai, and the Theatre Commander, Operation Hadin Kai, Major General Christopher Musa, had separately expressed doubt over the sincerity of the repentant terrorists in the past.

Speaking in an interview with one of our correspondents on Friday, a security expert, Timothy Avele, said the ex-terrorists could not be trusted.

He said, “On a personal level, I am not in support of the policy. You cannot release so-called repentant terrorists back into society when the war is still raging on. Who monitors them? How is the government or military sure of their loyalty to the country instead of their terrorist brothers still in the battlefield?

“As it stands now, neither the government nor the military, nor even the intelligence agencies can truly monitor these so-called repentant terrorists. We don’t have the technology to do so currently in Nigeria. We can only pray and hope that they will be good citizens, but there are no guarantees. “

But Brigadier General Bashir Adewinbi (retd.), on his part, dismissed the insinuations that those the military was planning to release to society would return to their old ways.

He added that the military would have learnt from past experience to ensure that such mistakes were not repeated, noting that the ex-terrorists would be closely monitored.

“The military must have learnt from the incident and ensured that they (repentant terrorists) might have been properly de-radicalised before releasing them into society. I think they will be watched closely and whoever is caught going back should be dealt with within the ambit of the law.  I doubt that these ones will go back to their vomit,” Adewinbi stated.

Another retired officer, Brigadier General Sani Usman, said the issue of repentant terrorists required a holistic approach, adding that the Federal Government must develop a unique modality for dealing with the issue of repentant terrorists.

He also said the de-radicalisation and reintegration of the repentant terrorists must not be left in the hands of the military and the Borno State Government alone.

Usman said, “There is a need to follow up on the collaborative effort of the whole society approach. Beyond this, there is also a need for the Federal Government to come to the aid of the military and the Borno State Government in finding a procedure for handling the over 80,000 repentant terrorists.

“Some time ago, I heard the theatre commander talking about the Maiduguri initiative, that is fine but we are faced with a unique situation. There is nowhere in the world where you have such a huge number of terrorists surrender hence there is a need to come up with a unique approach to handle them. First, we need to work on our justice system. I have said on several occasions that people should not be allowed to get away with their crimes. We must ensure that justice is done not only to the victims, but to the suspects themselves.

“With due respect to Operation Safe Corridor, the Federal Government must intervene and set up a committee and critically evaluate them on the basis of their participation in the insurgency. Some of them were conscripted, while some of them were terrorist commanders. Some of them even participated in attacking their own towns, how can you think of and rehabilitate those people? The judiciary must be fully involved.

“We also have to dig deep into this issue to understand why they did what they did or are doing. That is where the criminal justice system administration has to come to play. It is a delicate and complex issue that has to be handled properly. We have assisted to reintegrate people elsewhere like Liberia, and Sierra Leone.  We have come out with a blend of experience and best practices to effectively resolve the issue.”

‘Tread with caution’

Meanwhile, some security experts and researchers have asked the Chief of Defence Staff, General Lucky Irabor, to tread with caution in his plan to hand over 613 low-risk repentant terrorists to their state governments.

Irabor disclosed the plan on Thursday during the fifth stakeholders’ meeting of the Operation Safe Corridor in Abuja.

Reacting to this move, a researcher in the Department of Political Science, University of Nigeria, Nsukka, who has worked extensively on the matter, Dr Ugwueze Ikechukwu, said the Nigerian Army and its component units should tread with caution, noting that the move might backfire if not well handled.

While stating that it was not a new move, Ikechukwu faulted the Army for not using a community-based approach in the rehabilitation and reintegration process.

The expert, who had a paper published on the matter, said, “It is also known as Operation Safe Corridor, and for a very long time, we have continued to complain about the government’s use of the kinetic approach in resolving the Boko Haram issue.

“The plan to rehabilitate and reintegrate these ‘repentant’ Boko Haram into society is only a soft approach to counter-terrorism, and we are shocked that it is still being used by the Nigerian military.

Unfortunately, the greatest threat to this is the community approach to the issue. The programme completely lacks community inclusion. The community where these Boko Haram terrorists are reintegrated do not receive them with open arms and this is a problem.

“At a time in Borno State, when the government was pushing for this reintegration, some community members protested down to the Government House and told the government to take them to Aso Rock and not their community. Their concerns should not be pushed aside.”

He also stated that there had been issues around the so-called repentant Boko Haram members returning to the forest.

A former House of Representatives member, Ali Ndume, complained that some of the first recipients of the rehabilitation went back to terrorism. This is why we are saying the Chief of Defence Staff, Lucky Irabor, and his men should tread with caution so that we don’t have a bigger problem of these repentant Boko Haram members acting as spies for their colleagues in the forests,” Ikechukwu added.

Also reacting, the Executive Director of the Civil Society Legislative Advocacy Centre and the Chairman of the Transition Monitoring Group, Auwal Rafsanjani, asked the Army to first rehabilitate the victims of the killings first before talking about reintegrating the repentant Boko Haram members into society.

He said, “What the Nigerian Army needs to do is to rehabilitate the communities that have been bastardised and destroyed by the terrorists rather than offering those who committed the offence a soft landing.

“The priority should be the victims, not the terrorists. They are the ones who need counselling, reconciliation, sympathy and support, which, unfortunately, the Nigerian government has refused to focus on.

“The government is pampering these terrorists, who have committed atrocities against innocent people – women, men and children.

“If there are genuine people who are repentant, we need to test them first so that we are sure that they are not going back or becoming spies to these groups of terrorists. We must be very careful. Some of these hardcore terrorists never really change.”

A retired Assistant Superintendent of Police, Olufemi Ajisafe, stated that the move was an agenda that must be stopped, noting that terrorists do not just repent.

Ajisafe said, “Terrorists are not thieves or armed robbers. They are hard-core killers and they do not repent. So, I am surprised that the Army is falling for this agenda. That blood is still in them; it is a movement for them. It is not just criminality for these people.

“These people committed offences that they should either be killed or kept away from social life for as long as they live. We are talking about Boko Haram here, for God’s sake. How do you de-radicalise Boko Haram? Is it not similar to giving them more power to strike? They should be arrested and prosecuted.”

Also commenting, a former Director of the Department of State Services, Mike Ejiofor, said he had his reservation on the matter of reintegration and urged the government to do thorough checks on the repentant terrorists.

He stated, “We already have a precedent that some people were released before and they still went back and killed a relative of a sitting senator.

“I am not in the government but I feel they must have taken all necessary measures to screen those people. But, we know it is not 100 per cent true. Some of them can go back to the forest, while some may repent. I don’t know what process they want to take to get reassurance that these terrorists will not go back to the forests, but I have my reservation.”

Another security consultant, Mr Yemi Adeyemi, urged the defence chief to not compound the already complicated security situation in the country.

“What was the success rate of the first rehabilitation that was reported? There were reports that some of them went back to the jungle. What makes this one different? I hope we don’t end up breeding spies with our own resources,” he said.

However, the President and Chief Executive Officer of Security Watch Africa Initiative, Mr Patrick Agbambu, said there was no fact that repentant terrorists returned to the forest to continue terrorism.

Agbambu said, “There are no facts that the repentant terrorists found their way back to the forests. There was no confirmation; there is no record that shows that any of the demilitarised and de-radicalised suspects returned to terrorism. It is just an assumption and speculation.

“It is not a Nigerian military programme; it is a United Nations programme. These are not the suspects; these are those who surrendered during the processes or those who were conscripted by Boko Haram by force to be used as slave workers in their farms or to perpetrate crimes.

“These repentant Boko Haram members go through a rigorous process, and at the end of the training, they are given some stipends to go and start a new life.”

The President, Nigerian Association of Criminologists, William Ekponson, said the release of the de-radicalised Boko Haram members had economic, social, and security implications for the residents of the states they would be returning to.

While faulting the rationale behind the release, Ekponson noted that Nigerians were still suffering from the shocks of the activities of the insurgents. He also expressed concern that the proposed release of the terrorists was coming at a time when they could be used as thugs by the political class.

However, a security expert, Olumide Fajana urged the state government to involve the communities in the reintegration process and properly monitor the repentant insurgents.

 a similar vein, a Professor of Psychology, Olanrenwaju Adebayo, said the government must make sure that the factors that led the young men into insurgency, such as unemployment, poverty and lack of relationships, must be replaced by meaningful activities that would make them to have a sense of belonging in society.

ednut1:
with less than 55 days to elections, this is the structure people are talking about

kimjongJezebel:
The Jimi Adebayo's family has now gotten all their PVCs, 5 in total. My two sisters are first time voters. All 5 PVCs are now for Balogun Omowale Peter Adebayo obi.

Our parents resisted and have always wanted to vote Emilokan but my two sisters did a good job to convinced them to change their minds. Not easy to change old peoples' minds about their beliefs but we did it. APC gave us a sick Emilokan who can't make a coherent speech instead of an intelligent man like Osinbajo. Even if Obi doesn't win, we'll be at peace that we try to change the system.

May God bless all Obidients!

Kewtt:
Now this is a statement you are going to wish you never made.... Because you are going to regret it in a dimension unfathomable to you yet.... As you loved cursing, so let it come unto you: as you delighted not in blessing, so let it be far from you.

The Minister of Labour and Employment, Chris Ngige has explained why he cannot support or campaign for any presidential candidate out of the four frontrunners for the seat of presidency.

Ngige revealed his reason on Tuesday at his hometown in Alor, Idemili South Local Government Area of Anambra State, while distributing gifts by his foundation to people in the area.

Ngige, an All Progressives Party member, said all four presidential candidates are his friends having worked with them at one point or the other, therefore he would not be able to pick any among them to support.

The minister described Peter Obi of the Labour Party as his brother, Atiku Abubakar of the Peoples Democratic Party, Asiwaju Bola Tinubu of the APC and Rabiu Kwankwaso of the New Nigeria Peoples Party, as his good friends.

He therefore urged Nigerians to vote for the right candidate who would be able to work for them after a critical evaluation of their manifestos and antecedents.

He said, “The four frontrunners are good candidates with cognate experience in governance at the federal and state levels.

“They are my friends and they are well known to me. They have worked with me in one way or the other before now.

“Peter Obi of Labour Party is my brother, his local government is next to mine here my successor and everything. I know him too well. I know his capacity.

“Former Vice President, Alhaji Atiku Abubakar of Peoples Democratic Party was at the helm of affairs in the country when I was kidnapped as a sitting governor. He was acting for Mr. President who was away in Maputo at that time. He ordered my reinstatement. We sat together in the National Economic Council which he is the Chairman. We formed the Action Congress with Asiwaju.

“Bola Ahmed Tinubu of APC is also my good friend and political ally. He was very supportive during our trying times as governor. We formed AC together. We worked together in ACN and I became the lone opposition senator in the eastern region under the platform of Action Congress of Nigeria. He is not somebody I don’t know.

“Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso of NNPP is my friend too. I knew him as deputy speaker of the federal House of Representatives under Agunwa Anaekwe in 1991 as Speaker. We were in APC so, I know him.

“For me, let the Nigerian people vote right. Let Nigerians look at them and their manifestos and vote, according to what is right for the country.

“I don’t think I will go around campaigning for candidate A or B or C. I won’t do that. It is not my stock in trade. I don’t jump from party to party. But besides, I have some conscience and I am going to protect my conscience and make sure that I don’t hurt it.”

The minister had indicated interest in contesting the APC presidential primaries and was said to have purchased the Expression of Interest Form before withdrawing from the exercise.

Racoon:
https://www.vanguardngr.com/2022/09/tinubu-apc-and-the-hurdle-of-aggrieved-nigerian-youths/

A failure, disaster and catastrophe will never see anything wrong with it because of his myopic prismatic worldview.A failure is always a failure. Never reinforce failure.

Doneiap:
if u r interested in joining the whatsaap group, rub mind with likes and learn from their stories n challenges as well as share your story to inspire and help others, drop ur numbers...cheers to a successful festive season.

Fumbaby:
There is a broiler farmer group, you can drop your number I will ask the admin to add you

Generalj007:
P. Daniel gave a powerful charge to worship leaders


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l56mB8F9z_4

Click to watch

CheapHomes1:
sex change is actually a fallacy except they do surgery. most of these transgender clowns still have their original sex organs from birth. the men just go on to start taking drugs that give them boobs

Roboto11:
It is not a nationwide issue.

I can predict there would be unknown gunmen related killings in the southeast this week but less so in many other places.

In fact, the killings in the East is no longer newsworthy.

ejimatic:
Whoever puts his hope on OBJ is grooping in the darkness of unreality. Even OBI cannot win in OBJ polling unit. He himself knows OBI cannot win this year! OBJ the father of modern corruption in Nigeria does not have moral justification to tell youths whom to vote for.By six weeks to this time we will know who controls Nigeria among Obi ,BAT and Atiku. Welcome to 2023 the year of actions and strategies!

Former President Olusegun Obasanjo has endorsed the presidential candidate of the Labour Party, Peter Obi, as his preferred candidate for the 2023 elections.

In the 2023 New Year message signed by the former President and made available to newsmen by his aide, Kehinde Akinyemi, Obasanjo described Obi as his mentee and said the former Anambra State governor had an edge in the 2023 elections.

Obasanjo said, “None of the contestants is a saint but when one compares their character, antecedent, their understanding, knowledge, discipline, and vitality that they can bring to bear and the great efforts required to stay focused on the job, particularly looking at where the country is today and with the experience on the job that I personally had, Peter Obi as a mentee has an edge.

“Others like all of us have what they can collectively contribute to the new dispensation to liberation, restoration and salvaging of Nigeria.

“One other important point to make about Peter is that he is a needle with thread attached to it from North and South and he may not get lost.

“In other words, he has people who can pull his ears, if and when necessary. He has a young and able running mate with a clean track record of achievement both in public and private life.”

The letter partly read, “I am constrained to write this letter to all Nigerians especially young Nigerians, friends of Nigeria globally as well as our development partners because of the gravity, responsibility and implications of the collective decision Nigerians, both young and old, will be making within the next two months.

“The last seven and a half years have no doubt been eventful and stressful years for many Nigerians. We have moved from frying pan to fire and from mountain top to the valley.

“Our leaders have done their best, but their best had turned out to be not the best for Nigeria and Nigerians at home and abroad. For most Nigerians, it was hell on earth.

“Those of us who are alive should thank God for His mercies, brace ourselves for the remaining few months of this administration and pray and work very hard for an immediate better future – future of liberation, restoration and great hope and expectation.

“We have had campaigners going up and down the country feeding us with what they mean and what they do not mean, what they understand and what they do not fully understand, what is possible and what is not possible, what is realistic and what is unrealistic, what is true and what is untrue. I believe that we need not be confused nor be gullible. Let us be cautious, not to be fooled again.

“I have interacted with the major contestants and I find it interesting that, in one form or the other, each of them claims to want to do what I did during my Presidency and to take Nigeria back to where it was at the height of my Presidency and immediately after.

“I was pained that most of them do not realise that the Nigeria of today had been dragged down well below Nigeria of the beginning of my Presidency in June 1999.


“Although at that time, Nigeria was in very bad shape and was tottering on the verge of collapse and break-up. Even then, Nigeria was not faced with the level of pervasive and mind-numbing insecurity, rudderless leadership, buoyed by mismanagement of diversity and pervasive corruption, bad economic policies resulting in extremes of poverty and massive unemployment and galloping inflation”.

“For these reasons, I kept pointing out to them that the instruments used in 1999 to 2007 and methodology used will grossly be inadequate for the perilous situation we now find ourselves.

“Without prejudice but with greatest respect to each individual with utmost regard for the best for Nigeria and all Nigerians and from my personal experience, all the major contestants claim to be my mentees. I will not deny such positions since I have worked with all of them directly and indirectly in government.

“I have come to realise a number of factors in character, attributes and attitude that are necessary in the job of directing the affairs of Nigeria successfully and at a time like this. These characteristics or attributes are many but let us be mindful of some key ones together.

“From interaction and experience, and as mentees as most of them claim, I will, without prejudice, fear or ill-will, make bold to say that there are four major factors to watch out for in a leader you will consider to hoist on yourself and on the rest of Nigerians in the coming election and they are what I call TVCP: Track record of ability and performance; Vision that is authentic, honest and realistic; Character and attributes of a lady and a gentleman who are children of God and obedient to God; and Physical and mental capability with soundness of mind as it is a very taxing and tasking assignment at the best of times and more so, it is at the most difficult time that we are.”

“Let me say straight away that ‘Emi Lokan’ (My turn) and ‘I have paid my dues’ are one and the same thing and are wrong attitude and mentality for the leadership of Nigeria now. They cannot form the new pedestal to reinvent and to invest in a new Nigeria based on an All-Nigeria Government for the liberation and restoration of Nigeria. Such a government must have representation from all sectors of our national life – public, private, civil society, professional, labour, employers, and the diaspora.

“The solution should be in ‘we’ and ‘us’ and not in ‘me’ and ‘I’.

“Mind you, I reiterate that no human being is an angel let alone a Messiah, but there are elements of these attributes and on comparative basis and by measure of what we know of, and what some of us have experienced from the front-runners, we must assess judiciously and choose wisely.

“If anybody claims he or she has anything to the contrary, it will be up to him or her to prove to us.

“I pray not to be proved right again in the bad sense but rather to be proved right in the positive and glorious sense of Nigeria becoming what God had created it to be – a land of plenty and prosperity united for common purpose of inclusive society, common security, shared prosperity, equity, egalitarianism, justice, and equal stake in the Project Nigeria with leadership role of Nigeria for the black race and fair share of global division of labour.

“One ridiculous point that has been touted to justify unjustifiable appointments and selections is ‘competence’. In truth and in reality, genuine competence can be found in any region or section of Nigeria through track record and performance if only people will honestly and sincerely look hard for people with such attainment and attribute. Most of us in good conscience can testify to competence when we see any anywhere. What is masqueraded as ‘competence’ is self-interest and nepotism.

“We have a unique opportunity to correct ourselves by ourselves for the good of ourselves. Those who are preaching division, segregation, separation, and want to use diversity for their own self and selfish interest are enemies of the nation, no matter what else they may disguisedly profess or proclaim.”

The Ebonyi State Governor, David Umahi, has said he will take Ebonyi South Senatorial Zone by force at the forthcoming 2023 general elections in the state, noting that he will go to the National Assembly to fight for the people of Ebonyi.

According to a statement signed by the governor’s Special Assistant on Media and Strategy, Chooks Okoh, Umahi said this at his country home in Uburu, Ohaozara Local Government Area of the state, on Wednesday while addressing his supporters.

He said, “I am going to the centre to fight for the welfare of Ebonyi people; employment, infrastructure. I am going to fight for the empowerment of Ebonyi people. We will take it by force.”

The statement further quoted Umahi as saying he has acquired both capacity and experience to represent not only Ebonyi South, but also the entire state and Ndi Igbo in general.

He further assured his constituents and the entire state of quality representation, inclusiveness and, “a pride of place in the affairs of the country.”
Umahi further charged Ebonyi South constituents to throw their support behind the All Progressives Congress governorship candidate, Francis Nwifuru, in the forthcoming polls.