The mass movement by Boko Haram/Islamic State in West Africa Province (ISWAP) terrorists from their enclaves continues with another set of the insurgents alongside their families surrendering to Armed Forces of Nigeria troops on Sunday in Mafa, Borno State, Northeast Nigeria.
This beings to about 1,500, the number of Boko Haram/ISWAP terrorists’ commanders and fighters who have jumped ship into the waiting hads of the Nigerian military.
A video clip seen by Global Upfront Newspapers (GUN) through the services of PRNigeria showed a mass of the repentant terrorists and their family members, including women and children, filing out (in a straight line) from an unidentified dense vegetation.
The surrendering entourage, sources said, proceeded to Mafa where they were received by the troops.
Some former top commanders of the terrorist groups, including Adamu Rugurugu, and their family members have so far surrendered to the Nigerian military at various designated locations in Borno State.
Apart from Mafa, some of the surrendering points of the terrorists and their families over this weekend include Bama and Gwoza.
Sources noted that part of the issues driving the massive surrender of the terrorists and their families was the massive campaign jingles sponsored by the Nigerian military in both Kanuri and Hausa languages which has so affected them in recent times that they opted to quit terrorism and lay down their arms.
In addition, some of the terrorists opted to leave their camps to surrender because of aggressive advocacy by Islamic scholars and family members.
Stating that about 2,000 more terrorists are expected to surrender at the Lake Chad Basis axis due to advocacy campaigns and the psychological military operation, the source noted that “most of them, who surrendered in the last few days are renouncing their membership of Boko Haram and ISWAP because of campaign jingles, advocacy by religious scholars and engagement with their family members and friends which have been enlightening on the need to jettison their barbaric activities.
“We are expecting about 2,000 more from the Lake Chad axis… In fact, most of them were either forcefully conscripted or brainwashed in joining the terrorists during the heat of Boko Haram terrorism. They have also surrendered a lot of weapons and are cooperating with our team in designated locations.”
Part of this story originally was published in PRNigeria