Following sustained aerial bombardments by Nigerian Air Force (NAF) fighter jets and ground operations by the Army at their forests’ enclave in North-West and North-Central States, some of the notorious terrorists leaders of the killer squads and kidnapping rings in the two regions have reached out to community leaders and the Armed Forces of Nigeria, tabling their resolve to surrender and seek amnesty.
Already, some of the terrorists’ foot soldiers have agreed to toe the path of surrendering.
The issue of amnesty has been the option sought by Kaduna based cleric, Sheikh Ahmad Gumi and other Northern leaders.
The shift is coming just as operatives of Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) arrested a wanted bandit leader in Sokoto, Bello Galadima on Tuesday.
Sources said that the terrorising kingpins, after the arrest and killing of some of their comrades have agreed to cease their hostilities and lay down their arms and seek amnesty as a way out of their current situation whereby bombs and bullets are raining on them on and and from the air.
According to the source, “some of their top leaders together with no fewer than 20 other ‘Leaders’ of some bandits’ units have discreetly reached out to the military authorities, seeking for amnesty. They have been terrorizing residents and villagers in Zamfara, Katsina, Niger, Kaduna, and other States in the Northwest and North Central for years now.
“I can confidently tell you that both Samailo and Danmaraki and some other relatively unknown but dangerous heads of bandits’ gangs, who are feeling the heat of troops’ offensive in their dens, are begging the hierarchy of the Nigerian military to pardon them. They are ostensibly demanding for an amnesty to be granted them.”
He noted that the military High Command have passed the information to the political leadership who will give the final approval or disapproval.
The source however said that they are wary of giving the terrorising “kingpins and their gangs amnesty, knowing their past history and penchant for reneging their promise to quit banditry for good once the weapons from the military stops falling on them.
“In recent military operations, a lot of bandits have been killed while carefully avoiding to attack soft locations where some of their captives, especially abducted students have been kept to serve as human shields.
“We are occasionally held back by ongoing negotiations between political leaders and religious clerics including Christians and Muslims with the bandits in order to prevent collateral damages. We are mindful of the fact that many innocent souls could be caught in the crossfire if we proceeded in some cases. That could also generate bad press and public backlash against the troops.”