Friday, October 11, 2024 - On Thursday, the Borno State Government confirmed that it is "aware of the escape of some repentant insurgents" who recently surrendered.
The government however debunked that they absconded with government
arms, adding that preliminary investigation reveals that’s not true.
In a statement by the Commissioner for Information and Internal Security, Prof
Usman Tar, the government warned to avoid giving in to terrorists’ propaganda
that can demoralise troops and citizens.
He
said any amplification of the situation may likely embolden the terrorists and
undermine the ongoing counter-insurgency operations.
Although a Premium Times report on Wednesday put the escapee figures as 13,
Borno State Government admitted only 6.
According to Tar, the repentant insurgents escaped unarmed, adding that the
government is committed to collaborating with the relevant agencies to track
and arrest them.
He
said they were part of a cohort of “over 20,000 militants that were recently
documented, processed, profiled and categorised as “low risk” in terms of their
mental state, vulnerability to violent extremism, propensity for psychotropic
substance abuse and probability of relapse to violence”.
Explaining further, the security expert said terrorists and other violent
non-state actors have historically acquired weapons from various subterranean
sources.
He said that is what they used in their propaganda videos.
“Therefore, seeing weapons in such videos
does not imply they belong to the government”, he clarified.
He said the 6 escapees are an insignificant number when compared to the over
20,000 repentant individuals successfully processed and domiciled in the exit
programme”.
He assured that all is being done to ensure peace in Borno State.
“We urge citizens and stakeholders to continue to
support the government’s efforts in that regard. We are committed to restoring
peace and security across the state”, he submitted.
0 Comments