B/Haram fighters surrender to troops
Scores of Boko Haram terrorists have started to surrender to troops as a result of sustained air and ground operations, the Nigerian Army said yesterday.
Army spokesman Colonel Sani Usman said in a statement that new strategies being employed by the military had sent panic in the camp of the terrorists.
Usman explained that the new strategies employed included “sustained offensive operations, pre-emptive air strikes by the Nigerian Air Force and routes blocking by ground troops all geared towards constricting and snuffing out the Boko Haram terrorists.”
He said these strategies were yielding positive results as scores of terrorists surrender to troops and many more willing to surrender.
“Many of the terrorists that willingly surrendered painted images of mass panic and hysteria among their erstwhile colleagues,” he said.
He added: “They are feeling the noose tightening on their necks with the relentless efforts of troops and renewed vigour in operations inspired by the personal leadership of the Chief of Army Staff.”
Colonel Usman explained that the military would continue to receive the fighters and assured the innocent ones among them that to surrender was the only option open to them.
An army officer involved in the ongoing offensive in the northern fringes of Borno State said dozens of Boko Haram terrorists had surrendered.
He said, “So far, many of them have reported themselves to civilian JTF (youth vigilante) and have renounced terrorism.
“We have some that fled from Gamboru Ngala, Kala Balge and other neighbouring towns and villages.
“They have surrendered their arms and are cooperating with us very well,” he said.
When contacted by Daily Trust for comments, Borno State Governor Kashim Shettima, speaking through his spokesman, Malam Isa Gusau, said he was not surprised because he knew the force of the reorganised counter insurgency operations.
He said he also had absolute trust in the Nigerian Military under the current service chiefs. “Each and every one of them has so far proved to be highly patriotic, tactical, gallant, efficient, fearless, team building and very relentless in individual and collective commitment to meeting the deadline set by President Muhammadu Buhari to end the Boko Haram crisis,” he said.
The Governor also said he had been very supportive and also following all the steps being deployed by the Army under the Chief of Army Staff, Lieutenant General Tukur Yusuf Buratai.
“He knows the number of times Buratai has so far visited Borno State, the places he has toured and still touring, the extent he motivates his troops and their commanders and his extraordinary will, mental spirit and leadership passion to defeat the Boko Haram.
“The Governor is not surprised by the information released by the Army and he won’t have any doubt whatsoever if multitudes of insurgents are now surrendering themselves to the supremacy of tactically different Armed Forces of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.
“To Governor Shettima, the news is very good and it is cheering. The Governor will not add anything but to call on the media to continue to rely on the military on issues concerning security and should trust them as they are all we have got in this battle that is between all law abiding Nigerians and those who have chosen the path of mass murder and brutal destructions.”
Dr. Bulama Mali Gubio, the spokesman of the Borno Elders Forum (BEF), said they welcomed the development and urged the Federal Government to use the opportunity very well.
“In every conflict, if one party surrendered, it is obligatory for the other to accept because it makes no sense to fight an endless war,” Gubio said.
“The only thing that the Federal Government must ensure is whether those that are surrendering are real Boko Haram assailants; whether they are surrendering because they discovered that what they were doing was wrong, and whether they are putting down their arms as a group.
“The tendency is that if they are coming as individuals, it means they are just afraid of being killed as a result of the renewed offensive and may likely go back to the bushes if they have the opportunity.
“Similarly, government must be careful in releasing genuine members that renounced their involvement. The truth is that it will take long to heal the wounds they inflicted in the wider society and people would be skeptical to see them in their midst unless there is genuine commitment that they have truly repented,” he said.
Gubio also called on the Nigerian troops to sustain the offensive until dissident members of the Boko Haram, who will never accept any dialogue offer fully defeated.
Army spokesman Colonel Sani Usman said in a statement that new strategies being employed by the military had sent panic in the camp of the terrorists.
Usman explained that the new strategies employed included “sustained offensive operations, pre-emptive air strikes by the Nigerian Air Force and routes blocking by ground troops all geared towards constricting and snuffing out the Boko Haram terrorists.”
He said these strategies were yielding positive results as scores of terrorists surrender to troops and many more willing to surrender.
“Many of the terrorists that willingly surrendered painted images of mass panic and hysteria among their erstwhile colleagues,” he said.
He added: “They are feeling the noose tightening on their necks with the relentless efforts of troops and renewed vigour in operations inspired by the personal leadership of the Chief of Army Staff.”
Colonel Usman explained that the military would continue to receive the fighters and assured the innocent ones among them that to surrender was the only option open to them.
An army officer involved in the ongoing offensive in the northern fringes of Borno State said dozens of Boko Haram terrorists had surrendered.
He said, “So far, many of them have reported themselves to civilian JTF (youth vigilante) and have renounced terrorism.
“We have some that fled from Gamboru Ngala, Kala Balge and other neighbouring towns and villages.
“They have surrendered their arms and are cooperating with us very well,” he said.
When contacted by Daily Trust for comments, Borno State Governor Kashim Shettima, speaking through his spokesman, Malam Isa Gusau, said he was not surprised because he knew the force of the reorganised counter insurgency operations.
He said he also had absolute trust in the Nigerian Military under the current service chiefs. “Each and every one of them has so far proved to be highly patriotic, tactical, gallant, efficient, fearless, team building and very relentless in individual and collective commitment to meeting the deadline set by President Muhammadu Buhari to end the Boko Haram crisis,” he said.
The Governor also said he had been very supportive and also following all the steps being deployed by the Army under the Chief of Army Staff, Lieutenant General Tukur Yusuf Buratai.
“He knows the number of times Buratai has so far visited Borno State, the places he has toured and still touring, the extent he motivates his troops and their commanders and his extraordinary will, mental spirit and leadership passion to defeat the Boko Haram.
“The Governor is not surprised by the information released by the Army and he won’t have any doubt whatsoever if multitudes of insurgents are now surrendering themselves to the supremacy of tactically different Armed Forces of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.
“To Governor Shettima, the news is very good and it is cheering. The Governor will not add anything but to call on the media to continue to rely on the military on issues concerning security and should trust them as they are all we have got in this battle that is between all law abiding Nigerians and those who have chosen the path of mass murder and brutal destructions.”
Dr. Bulama Mali Gubio, the spokesman of the Borno Elders Forum (BEF), said they welcomed the development and urged the Federal Government to use the opportunity very well.
“In every conflict, if one party surrendered, it is obligatory for the other to accept because it makes no sense to fight an endless war,” Gubio said.
“The only thing that the Federal Government must ensure is whether those that are surrendering are real Boko Haram assailants; whether they are surrendering because they discovered that what they were doing was wrong, and whether they are putting down their arms as a group.
“The tendency is that if they are coming as individuals, it means they are just afraid of being killed as a result of the renewed offensive and may likely go back to the bushes if they have the opportunity.
“Similarly, government must be careful in releasing genuine members that renounced their involvement. The truth is that it will take long to heal the wounds they inflicted in the wider society and people would be skeptical to see them in their midst unless there is genuine commitment that they have truly repented,” he said.
Gubio also called on the Nigerian troops to sustain the offensive until dissident members of the Boko Haram, who will never accept any dialogue offer fully defeated.
Comments
Post a Comment