Presidency reacts to reports of integrating repentant Boko Haram fighters into military

The Presidency has faulted reports that the federal government was absolving repentant Boko Haram terrorists into the Nigerian military.

 

President Muhammadu Buhari’s spokesman, Garba Shehu insisted that none of the 601 repentant Boko Haram members who were recently deradicalized has been integrated into the military.

 

Shehu made the remark, in a statement while cautioning Nigerians leaders against not purveying fake news on the integration of these terrorists into the military.

 

He said the federal government followed laid down rules in the process of deradicalizing of the repentant Boko Haram members.

 

He said: “Now that groups with hitherto proven bonafide, some religious leaders and a few in the legislature have joined the supply chain of fake news, it important that we step in to clear the false reports that the administration is absorbing repentant Boko Haram terrorists into the military.

 

“It is important for the public to know that nobody has ever been absorbed into the military from the de-radicalized Boko Haram and there is no such plan for their absorption.

 

“None of the 601 former Boko Haram members who voluntarily laid down their arms, and have recently graduated from the Federal Government’s de-radicalization and rehabilitation programme, is going into the military. This is the fourth such graduation of repentant Boko Haram fighters and not one of such graduates has been absorbed into the military.”

 

Recall that 601 repentant Boko Haram members were in July reintegrated into the society after they were successfully deradicalized.

 

Those reintegrated into the society include some ex-Boko Haram fighters from 14 foreign nationals including Cameroon, Chad and Niger.

 

The Coordinator, Operation Safe Corridor, Major General Bamidele Shafa made the disclosure.

 

The action of the federal government had led to backlash on Buhari.

 

Buhari was accused of pampering terrorists in Nigeria, Nnamdi Kanu, leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra, IPOB, had said.