17 Boko Haram insurgents repent and surrender to military

SEVENTEEN Boko Haram insurgents have willingly surrendered themselves to the military authorities in Maiduguri saying they are tired of fighting.

A cross-section of the insurgents in t-shirts and black uniform attires was displayed in Marmalari Barracks today by the theatre commander Major General Rogers Nicholas.

Displaying the repentant insurgents on Monday, Commander Operations Lafia Dole Major General Rogers Nicholas said that the army was ready for the entire insurgents if they decide to use this Ramadan period to surrender and stop their wickedness.

He told newsmen that as far as he remains the theatre commander of operation lafia Dole, the insurgents can count on him for their freedom by repenting from their wrongs adding that none of his soldiers will shoot at a repentant terrorist.

“Gentleman, I said this because several of them are suffering in the bush and there is nothing for them to feed themselves and their captors yet they insist on staying. They want to come out but it is difficult for them to do so without the assurances we are giving to them. As I speak to you now, several of them are using this period to repent and turn from their wrongs.

“Over seventy have turned themselves in already in Monguno while forty-five others are preparing for deradicalization in Bama because they jumped the first hurdle to turn themselves in.

“I want the media to help pass this message to the ones that are still in the bush that even if their commanders are ready, we would accommodate them for the mere fact that they have repented. We have opened a surrender camp to accommodate all of them and you can interview them nobody is harassing them” said General Rogers.

He assured that several others would surrender before the real deradicalization process begins to ensure that none of them relapses and desperately return to the bush as used to occur in some cases.

Cross-examination of the repented insurgents reveals that some of them fled from the Shekau faction while others displayed were from the Albarnawi faction which has been waxing stronger since they started their campaign.

They are all expected to commence deradicalization process very soon said Rogers flanked by his management team and some commanders.