Normalcy have been restored after hundreds of Nigerian ex-Boko Haram terrorists (repentant ) who are being held at Hajj camp, Borno State, rioted on Friday over N30,000 allowances promised by Government.

The ex-militant blocked the Bulumkutu- Maiduguri Highway creating gridlock and tension among residents in the area.

The incident illustrated the sensitive task which authorities face in re-inserting former fighters back into communities that have often suffered from years of attacks and kidnappings during a 13-year Islamist insurgency, a video by X user,
Zagazola (@ZagazOlaMakama) shows.

In a Friday press statement e-signed by Prof Usman A Tar, Commissioner, Information and Internal Security; and shared by Yar Amanar Zulum via X, normalcy have been restored. It was just ‘biometric’ issue, it cleared.

The statement reads;

Repentant Insurgents

Biometrics for repentant insurgents resume after Friday’s incident

With normalcy restored, officials of Borno State Government have on Friday resumed the biometrics data capture of repentant Boko Haram insurgents.

 

A total of 6,900 repentant insurgent are processed under the multi-agency framework of Disarmament, Demobilisation, Deradicalisation, Rehabilitation, Reconciliation and Reintegration (DDDRRR) otherwise known as the “Borno Model.”

The data processing process was scheduled to be conducted in 6 Batches by by a certified team of intelligence and ICT experts with utmost level of professionalism and confidentiality in data management.

However, due to a bridge in communication, those who were supposed to appear for the data capture at a later date appeared today, Friday, August 18, 2023, and this led to confusion at a camp where the exercise was being conducted.

 

The Borno State Government wishes to assure the public that the situation is under control and normalcy has been restored at the venue of the biometric exercise.

 

Thank you

 

Prof Usman A Tar
Commissioner, Information and Internal Security

Boko Haram is a terrorist group that originated in northeastern Nigeria. The group’s name means “Western education is forbidden” in the Hausa language. Boko Haram is a Salafi jihadist group that seeks to overthrow the Nigerian government and establish an Islamic caliphate in its place.

It was founded in 2002 by Mohammed Yusuf, a radical Muslim cleric. The group’s early activities were focused on preaching and social welfare work. However, in 2009, the group launched a violent insurgency against the Nigerian government. The insurgency has since claimed the lives of over 30,000 people and displaced millions more.

Boko Haram has been responsible for a number of high-profile attacks, including the kidnapping of over 270 schoolgirls from Chibok in 2014. The group has also been accused of using child soldiers and carrying out suicide bombings.

The Nigerian government has responded to the Boko Haram insurgency with a military campaign. However, the insurgency has proved to be difficult to defeat. Boko Haram has shown a great deal of resilience and has been able to adapt to the government’s military operations.

In recent years, Boko Haram has split into two factions. The main faction is led by Abubakar Shekau, who is known for his extreme brutality. The other faction is led by Abu Musab al-Barnawi, who is said to be more moderate.

The future of Boko Haram is uncertain. The group has been weakened by the military campaign, but it still poses a threat to Nigeria and the region. The Nigerian government will need to continue its military campaign and address the underlying causes of the insurgency, such as poverty and unemployment, in order to defeat Boko Haram once and for all.

The repentant Boko Haram fighters, are the thousands of Boko Haram members who were granted amnesty by the Federal Government for laying down their arms and accepting rehabilitation back into society. Most of them are not Nigerians.

The policy takes no cognizance of hundreds of innocent citizens who are victims of terrorist attacks or have lost their relatives and loved ones to these insurgents.

A May 2023 Editorial by The Guardian states;

”After almost eight years in power, the Muhammadu Buhari government has not only failed to defeat Boko Haram as it promised, it has also resorted to offering amnesty to “repentant” Boko Haram fighters in a hypocritical manner that is further endangering the society and compromising security.

Tragically, the so-called “repentant” Boko Haram fighters are not really repentant, but pretend to be, only to infiltrate the Nigerian army and compromise the fight against Boko Haram, thus killing soldiers almost every day. The Nigerian soldiers themselves are unhappy about the amnesty policy. According to one of them: “We continue to sweep across the bushes to flush these people out, and then the government will release them. Does that not amount to wasted efforts?” Another soldier said emphatically that “some of these so-called suspects are returning to the bush and they were never repentant.”

How Nigerians feel about this

Mister Jonah @MisterJonahh;
”What am I missing??

So our government has been paying monthly allowance to terrorists??

And they’re even protesting over unpaid allowances? This country is in deep mess honestly.

What Buhari did to this country will take years to be forgotten.”

Keny David @KennyNuga
”Ex-Terrorist requesting monthly allowance is not correlating.

They ought to be made to work on farms and construction sites to earn a living while been monitored under camera.”

SAMBO MAI HULA @Abdullahiabba_
”This is why a reasonable Government should never negotiate with terrorist for whatsoever the reason is, once they surrender the best thing to do is send them to jail. Now they will use this opportunity to go back to their old ways and come on national TV to say the Government did not offer them what they wanted that is why they flew back to their old ways.

These are people who find pleasure in slaughtering, raping, and destabilizing the peace of people for years and all of a sudden they have repent and our government are accepting them with Good hands.”

Doñvld | Alex-Aniche @DonAniche
”This statement, albeit with a formal undertone wud tell you all is not well in this country. S/he even referred to them as “insurgents”, not “terrorists”.
About 7000 terrorists, how many police do we have in that location & how do you think other hungry won’t join the rave?”

Chi Mbaeke @chimbaeke
”I still maintain that we are running in destructive circles in this country. We are not on a common journey and our destinations can never intersect as a nation. A serious conversation around absolute restructuring or outright division should be mainstreamed.”

Mr Sam @UkachukuSamuel
”I hope this is not with Federal Government’s money? The Bornu State Government can handle this with their own share of the monthly allocation. Otherwise this will be replicated in all parts of the country”

Temidayo @blackdiamond28B
”How much is the budget for Education again, please? Because paying 2.5Trillion to people that are doing nothing and had no value to the economy or society rather to terrorize their our society. What a country.”

Ferguson_Cmoore @KarryMooreFergu
”What is really going in this country? Can somebody please explain to me?”