The stakeholder town hall meeting
on Boko Haram hosted by Borno State Governor, Babagana Zulum in Maiduguri
reached 16 resolutions.
It followed last week’s
consultations Zulum had with President Muhammadu Buhari; Chief of Defence
Staff, Leo Irabor; and members of several communities in Borno.
The Government House parley
extensively discussed the pros, cons and implications of ongoing surrender by
terrorists.
The participants agreed that
firearms be retrieved from all repentant insurgents and profiling made
stringent to avoid hasty release of hardened elements to the society.
They urged the Federal Government
to quickly establish a world class centre with facilities for deradicalisation
and rehabilitation purposes.
The stakeholders urged
intensified military battle against Boko Haram and Islamic State’s West Africa
Province (ISWAP).
In attendance were victims of
attacks, state officials, National and State Assembly members, traditional
rulers led by Shehu of Borno, elders, heads of security agencies, Muslim and
Christian leaders.
Others were academics, the
Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ), youth and women groups, labour unions,
civil society groups, local and international NGOs and political parties.
Zulum said while it was difficult
accepting the killers of innocent civilians, it is important to find ways of
ending the 12-year insurgency.
He described terrorists’
surrender as “two extreme conditions”, noting that accepting insurgents has its
implications and rejecting them could swell the ranks of the sects.
Zulum referred to the situation
in Afghanistan where 20 years of military fight ended with the Taliban now in
control of government.
The resolutions contained in a
communique issued after the meeting was signed by Attorney General and
Commissioner for Justice, Kaka Shehu Lawan, a member of the Borno Security
Council.
The stakeholders “Appreciated the
efforts and support of President Muhammadu Buhari, GCFR, towards ending Boko
Haram insurgency and other criminalities in Borno State and the country at
large;
“Commended the zeal and
determination of Prof. Babagana Umara Zulum, Governor of Borno State towards
restoration of lasting peace in the State. The meeting noted his unparalleled
support rendered to the IDPs and vulnerable.
“Welcomed the effort of the
Federal and State Governments in the provision of state-of-the-art equipment
and other logistics to security operatives that led to the renewed vigour in
the fight against insurgents which resulted in the recent surrender;
“Urged the Federal and State
Governments to handle the issues of repentant Boko Haram insurgents with utmost
care and within the instrumentality of the law;
“Stressed the need for proper
profiling of repentant Boko Haram insurgents to avoid hasty release of hardened
elements to larger society;
“Welcomed the recent massive
surrender by the Boko Haram insurgents and urged those still in the bush to
follow suit;
“Called for all firearms and
offensive weapons used by the repentant insurgents to be retrieved from them;
“Advocated for the strengthening
of the deradicalisation mechanism of Operation Safe Corridor so as to involve
parents of the surrendered Boko Haram members, Ulamas, traditional/community
leaders and the media;
“Urged citizens to key into the
educational opportunities created by the state government, especially by
enrolling their children and wards to schools as a countermeasure to
indoctrination;
“Reiterated the need for further
support to all victims of insurgency especially women and children;
“Called on the Federal Government
to establish a world class deradicalisation/rehabilitation centre in Borno
State being the epicentre of insurgency;
“Called for a true reconciliation
amongst the affected people;
“Appreciated the support of the
Federal Government to Borno and solicited for more funding in areas of
reconstruction, resettlement, reintegration, education and health as the meager
resources at the disposal of the state is not sufficient in view of the
magnitude of cost involved;
“Urged the military to sustain
the ongoing offensive on the activities of ISWAP;
“Resolved to have a periodic
briefing on the activities of the surrendered Boko Haram terrorists with a view
to creating awareness amongst the public;
“Resolved that the North East
Development Commission (NEDC), as a matter of priority, be involved in all
aspects of the rehabilitation and integration of surrendered Boko Haram into
mainstream society.”
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