Boko Haram: Stop Rehabilitating Them, They’ll Never Repent, Ndume Tells FG

Ali Ndume, senator representing Borno South, has rejected the Federal Government’s policy of rehabilitating repentant Boko Haram terrorists as a strategy to combat insurgency in the country.

This is coming days after the graduation of 601 repentant Boko Haram terrorists who completed their Deradicalisation, Rehabilitation and Reintegration (DRR) programme of the Nigerian Army and were reintegrated into their various communities.

Senator Ndume, in an interview with BBC Hausa, kicked against the DRR programme of the military, stating that the ex-Boko Haram fighters will never repent.

“This government’s programme is unacceptable to our people. The right thing is to stop it, forthwith,” he said.

“Not that they even apologised to you, they apologised to the government with the thinking that government has failed and that is why they are being pampered,” he said.

“They are like Kharajites. Many among those released have since run away. They will never repent.

“The government should know what to do about them. But not re-introducing someone to you, who has killed your parent, or your relations.”

MERIDIAN SPY reported N20,000 stipends and some basic equipment were given to the ex-Boko Haram terrorists to practise their respective vocations as they get reintegrated into their communities.

The funds and the starter packs were given to the repentant terrorists by the North East Development Commission (NEDC) and the International Organisation for Migration (IOM).

But the Borno South senator advocated that those who were victims of the insurgents attack and now in the Internally Displaced Camp (IDP) should rather be given such vocational training and returned to their normal life.

“If there is sincerity of purpose in this, those in the IDP camps should be trained in various trades and vocation so that they could start life again,” he said.