TheCable

The Borno state government says it would encourage Boko Haram members to surrender so they can be rehabilitated and reintegrated into society.

In the last few days, about a hundred members of the terrorist group had surrendered to the military.

Babakura Abba-Jato, the Borno commissioner of information, at the end of a security meeting held on Saturday in Maiduguri, expressed satisfaction with the growing number of insurgents surrendering to the military.

The commissioner said the government is happy with the development and the sustained military onslaught at the shores of Lake Chad and Sambisa Forest.

“The meeting was chaired by the Governor who is happy with the clearing exercise going on at the shores of the Lake Chad as well as what is going on around the Sambisa general area with some of the insurgents surrendering,” he said.

“They insurgents are surrendering along with their arms and ammunitions.

“We will encourage them to surrender and discard their nefarious activities so that they can be accommodated, rehabilitated and integrated into the society.”

He explained that the return of relative peace to many parts of the state has led to the restoration of civil authority.

He said it has also contributed to the ongoing resettlement of displaced persons and expansion of farming activities in recovered areas.

The commissioner said the meeting agreed on the need to clear thick bushes along the 85 kilometre Maiduguri-Damboa road that has been closed for several years.

He commended the military and other security agencies, including civilian joint task force (CNJTF), hunters, and vigilante groups, for their sustained effort in the fight against insurgency in the state.