Director General, National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA), Alhaji Mohammed Sani Sidi, Monday said that over 800 repentant Boko Haram insurgents are currently undergoing skill acquisition training.
The NEMA boss who stated this at a two day Public Hearing on the North East Development Commission Bill, 2016 said that the skill acquisition exercise is being handled by the military and monitored by the Office of the Chief of Defence Staff (CDS).
Although he did not say where the exercise is taking place, it is believed that the repentant Boko Haram insurgents are being hosted in Maidugiri, the capital of Borno State.
Alhaji Sidi was responding to the comment of a former member of the House of Representatives, Hon. Kaka Kyari Gujbawu, who canvassed general amnesty for returning Boko Haram insurgents.
Sidi said, “It is not true that the Federal Government has no amnesty package. There is what is called safe corridor. I do know that 800 plus (Boko Haram) have been registered. I don’t want to be specific. They have exited Boko Haram through the window. They are currently receiving various skill acquisition training. The military is handling it. It is being monitored by the Office of the CDS.”
Hon. Gujbawu had in his presentation at the event said that the NEDC Bill should include amnesty for repentant Boko Haram insurgents because most of the insurgents were conscripted and forced to fight along Boko Haram members.
He said that a second life should be given to the repentant insurgents.
He also said that provision should be made for the Civilian Joint Task Force members who he said were used and dumped.
Gujbawu said that some form of integration in the line of employment should be evolved for the Civilian JTF members who helped tremendously to push out Boko Haram insurgents from Maidugiri.
Chairman, Joint Committee on the North East Development Commission Bill, Senator Abdul-Aziz Murtala Nyako, assured that his committee would consider the amnesty aspect “critically” as well as discuss with the Executive on the issue.
Nyako said that it is only after such critical consideration that the committee would determine whether amnesty would party of the Bill.
He acknowledged the motion against the insurgency that was moved by Senator Thompson Sekibo and 40 others as part of the off-shoot of the Bill.
He said that the NEDC Bill was sponsored by 18 Senators of the North East zone across party lines led by the Senate Leader, Senator Mohammad Ali Ndume.
Nyako added that Nigerians should come to terms with the alarming fact that the North East zone is rapidly deteriorating as a result of the insurgency that began in 2009.
He said, “We often consider death as the most noticeable effect of this insurgency, but we need to look at our current situation holistically.
“Hundreds if not thousands of schools have been reduced to rubles; magistrates courts that used to resolve communal conflicts have been destroyed; hospitals and small clinics that used to treat nursing mothers, children and the elderly are non-existent, police and law enforcement structures have been demolished; homes, markets, public parks and community centers are completely ruined; women, men and children fleeing their homes have been forced to take shelter in completely foreign communities; our fellow brothers and sisters have been murdered, tortured, raped, dehumanized and rendered homeless.”
On his, Senator Abubakar Kyari (Borno North) noted that the Borno State Government was already doing something for the Civilian JTF.
He noted that the state government has trained them under the supervision of the military and provided vehicles and uniform for the group.
Kyari also said that the state government is paying stipends to members of the Civilian JTF out of its meager resources.
He noted that it would wrong to say that nothing is being done for the members of the Civilian JTF.
Senate President, Abubakar Bukola Saraki, who inaugurated the Public Hearing, noted that what had been witnessed in the North East demanded special attention from all well meaning Nigerians and not just from government.
He said, “We must all rise up and say never again. We have seen families wiped out, children orphaned, incomes plunged below a tenth of what they were a decade ago.
“Families that have survived this onslaught have largely survived with little to live by and now rely directly on handouts for food rations.
“More than a quarter of the children in this area are either malnourished or in danger of malnourishment. Schools have become deserted and the social fabric of our national unity severely perforated in this area, threatening to create deep set divisions amongst us, fueling animosities amongst Muslims and Christians, leading to the entire economy of the region bleeding profusely.
“It is in this unique and dire context that we must appreciate the importance and urgency for us as a legislature and government to act, to restore hope and rebuild the North East.”
Saraki said that for members of the 8th National Assembly, the Bill is more than a National priority, because “it reflects our mandate to make laws for the good governance, peace and security of the entire country.”
He said, “The effort at this bill therefore, is aimed at creating the legislative framework to enable government provide the basic structures and capacities that will enable it rebuild the North East.
“It will also provide an avenue for external collaborators such as international development agencies to make effective contributions towards the region; further ensuring internal stability, a base for restoration, rehabilitation and conflict resolution.
“All the aforementioned are crucial not only for the sustained futures of the people of the North East but also for the country as a whole.
“This is a peculiar time in our history. Thankfully we can talk about rebuilding due to the remarkable bravery, patriotism and courage of our Armed Forces who continue to take the fight back to the Boko Haram who have now largely retreated to sporadic soft attacks. We are therefore here to show solidarity to their gallantry and act like leaders of a united and indivisible nation.
“However, we must not forget that this war against terrorism cannot be won by might but through the hearts and minds of citizens who are certain that they have a secure and guaranteed place within the fabric of our society and thus choose to live and act in harmony towards collective growth. Thus, in making a conscious, collective decision to focus development efforts in this region, we are fostering a strong sense of place and rebuilding a positive, shared identity.
“It is my firm hope that your contributions to this public hearing would further enrich the bill, deepen our discussion at Senate plenary and help provide us the missing links if any towards the process of giving back hope, belief and optimism to our people that wherever they may be, their welfare and security will remain the central purpose of government.
“I urge you to make haste in bringing this Bill to pass. Every day we wait to take legislative action, we delay the opportunities that ought to abound within and from the North East.”
