The Theatre Commander, Joint Task Force “Operations Hadin Kai,” Major General Christopher Musa, says the number of Boko Haram terrorists who have surrendered to the Nigerian military has now reached 17,000.
General Musa on Friday in Maiduguri, Northeast Nigeria, told the management of North East Development Commission (NEDC) those that surrendered comprise of combatants, non-combatants, those conscripted against their wish and family members.
Musa said the growing number of those surrendering and the need for the military to continue to cope with profiling them has warranted the intervention of the NEDC, in addition to their maintenance.
He noted that the development, though a positive one, remains a source of concern for members of Islamic State of West Africa Province (ISWAP), who have started panicking as their hope to inherit Boko Haram fighters following the death of Abubakar Shekau has boomeranged.
General Musa said that the disturbed ISWAP group had even set up a task force to stop the trend of surrendering, adding that the way the surrendered are managed would ginger more still in the bush to come out.
“From the Presidency, Minister of Defence, Chief of Defence Staff, Service Chiefs, everyone is putting hands on deck to see that the menace is ended, and we have peace in the North East. We know that if we have peace in the north east it will transcend to other regions,” Musa said.
He lauded the intervention of the NEDC in areas of humanitarian and infrastructure support in the region and urged it to extend its intervention to the military, particularly, in the rehabilitation of structures and roads to facilitate movement.
Responding, the Managing Director of NEDC, Mr Mohammed Alkali, lauded the effective role of the military in restoring peace in the region, adding that the improvement in security in the north east has enabled the commission to embark on various projects and other non-kinetic support in recovered areas.
Alkali, who assured the military of continuous collaboration and support, urged them to sustain the tempo at this critical time of closure of camps in Maiduguri and resettlement of displaced persons back to their ancestral homes.