Borno State governor, Babagana Zulum on Wednesday, expressed confidence in ‘repentant’ Boko Haram terrorists, saying 90 per cent of them are genuine.
The governor expressed confidence that the majority of the terrorists who surrendered to the Nigerian military are truly repentant.
His assurance followed criticisms trailing the handling of surrendered terrorists.
Nigerians have been sceptical about how the government and the Nigerian armed forces are handling the amnesty granted to terrorists who voluntarily surrendered their arms and turned themselves to the authorities, despite the atrocities they had committed.
At the Presidential Villa in Abuja, where President Muhammadu Buhari inaugurated the Presidential Committee on the Repatriation, Return and Resettlement of Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) in the North-East, Zulum said he has “personally interacted with some of the repentant terrorists to have an insight into their thoughts”.
While fielding questions from journalists, Zulum responded, “I am 100 percent confident. Yes. While no process is perfect in the entire world, so far, so good. The process has yielded positive results; I believe over 90 percent of those that have surrendered, are doing well and have given the government the necessary support.
“They’re also calling their colleagues in the bush to come out and join the process of peacebuilding.”
And when asked if more terrorists would embrace the amnesty deal, Zulum said, “In fact, they are over ready. They have been agitating for a return for the last two and a half years. But unfortunately, the enabling environment has not been created for that return.
“But now that the federal government has acted, all the necessary resources and materials needed to ensure their return in a dignified manner will be provided by the federal government and we remain extremely grateful.”
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