Yobe shows readiness to reintegrate repented Boko Haram members

By Muhammad Maitela, Damaturu

The Yobe State Government has disclosed its plans to reintegrate deradicalised repentant Boko Haram members.

The Yobe State Governor, Mai Mala Buni disclosed this on Thursday, when he received the delegation of OPSC led by Gen. Christopher Musa, Chief of Defence Staff (CDS), in Damaturu, the state capital.

The Governor, who was represented by his Deputy, Hon. Idi Gubana, said the visit is an opportunity for the strategic engagement and collaboration between the state and security forces.

Gov. Buni expressed that, over 15-year insurgency had consumed thousands of lives in Yobe, destroyed public and private property and displaced many households.

The governor said the state government had recognised that not all members of the terrorist group joined willingly, saying a non-kinetic approach offered a chance to salvage and reintegrate those who show remorse.

“We shared the belief that some individuals were conscripted into the insurgency through force or indoctrination.

“With sustained efforts, they can repent, rehabilitate and return to normal life as responsible citizens,” Buni said.

The governor said 390 repentant insurgents including 54 indigenes of Yobe would be graduating from the DRR programme between April 14 and 19.

He said the state had put mechanisms in place through its Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs and Disaster Management to ensure effective reintegration.

“I wish to assure Operation Safe Corridor that the state government is committed to adopting and implementing your recommendations with a view to achieving the desired objectives,” Buni said.

The governor, however, expressed appreciation to President Bola Tinubu for his “unshakable commitment to ending insurgency and major crimes through a multifaceted approach.”