Why Over 51,000 Repentant Terrorists, Families Surrendered – Military

The Nigerian military has revealed why at least 51,000 repentant Boko Haram terrorists and their families have surrendered to its troops serving in the North East.

Speaking in an interview on Channels TV on Monday, Commander of Operation Hadin Kai, Major General Chris Musa, said the terrorists and their relatives surrendered because they were tired of the fight with the troops.

Musa stated that the insurgents and their families delayed their surrender to the military because of the fear of being killed by their leaders for disloyalty.

He added that the leadership tussle within the terrorists’ camp following the death of Abubakar Shekau, also led to the terrorists surrendering to the military.

He said: “I know everybody is asking why are they even surrendering now? For us, the surrendering started since July 2021 and for them to have been there (in the camps) to date shows you some level of commitment and why are they surrendering.

“The death of Shekau has opened a lot of opportunities because while he (Shekau) was there, he was very brutal; anybody who attempts to escape will be killed. They were scared of him (Shekau).

“But they knew we would treat them professionally; by the laws of war, once your enemies surrender, you are duty-bound to receive him and treat him humanely until the process of the legal system takes its course, and that is what we are doing.”

Musa also faulted the claims that the military was pampering the repentant persons who played various roles in the over-decade-long insurgency that claimed thousands of lives.

He said, “We are not pampering them; we are just being in line with the statutory laws on the ground and that is why we ensure that all those ones that have been profiled are brought in and kept secure. Out of the over 51,000, 11,000 are males but not all of them are combatants.

“Among the males, we have some that were enslaved, those that were born there, and those that were conscripted. Gradually, those are going to be sorted out, and then the legal system will take its course.”

He explained that residents in the region have been helpful to the military, especially in the area of intelligence gathering despite the communication barrier in some localities.

“We get information as quickly as things are happening,” the commander said. “Sometimes, the challenge might probably be the way to communicate because we do not have network everywhere; but as soon as they get to where they can send messages across to us, they let us know.

“That has assisted us greatly in subduing the insurgents to such an extent that we have so much peace. We have over 51,000 insurgents and their family members that have surrendered to us.”