Senator NdumeA former Majority Leader of the Senate, Senator Ali Ndume, has called on the federal government not to give much emphasis on the rehabilitation and reintegration of repentant Boko Haram members.
Ndume, Chairman of the Senate Committee on Army, who spoke today, November 13 during the budget defense session with the Nigerian Army, said that deradicalizing repentant Boko Haram members is a misplacement of priority.
According to him, government should focus on resettling the Internal Displaced Persons (IDPs) in various camps across the North.
This was even as he alleged that the recent terrorist attack in Damboa was orchestrated by a repentant Boko Haram member. Ndume said the repentant insurgent was feeding his former colleagues information regarding the movement of the army.
Senator Ndume said that it is unfair for the government to lavish its resources on ex-Boko Haam insurgents who threaten the peace of the nation and not those affected by the insurgency.
He also advised the federal government to keep arrested insurgents as prisoners of war, adding that in due time they can be profiled and tried in accordance with the law.
Senator Ndume, however, kicked against the Boko Haram bill aimed at creating an agency for repentant terrorists. According to the lawmaker, the bill will embolden the insurgents since they are sure of rehabilitation and reintegration into society.
