Senate introduces bill to create agency for repentant Boko Haram members
- Nigerian lawmakers are making moves to establish an agency to rehabilitate repentant members of Boko Haram
- The bill was sponsored by a senator representing Yobe East senatorial district
- The bill has scaled first reading on the floor of the upper chamber
On Thursday, February 20, the Nigerian Senate considered a bill seeking to establish an agency that would see to the rehabilitation, deradicalization, and integration of repentant insurgents in the country.
According to Premium Times, the bill which was read for the first time on the floor of the upper chamber was sponsored by Senator Ibrahim Gaidam of Yobe East senatorial district. The bill would be for insurgents who choose to cease fire.
Back in 2019, a group of Borno elders, led by ex-governor Kashim Shettima, frowned at the military’s operation called Operation Safe Corridor in Malam-Sidi. The former governor noted that the initiative was not well thought out.
Source: UGC
The elder had feared that releasing repentant Boko Haram militants into civilian population could be counterproductive.
Meanwhile, Legit.ng previously reported that the Borno state government has confirmed about 1,400 repentant Boko Haram suspects were released and resettled back into the society by the Nigerian military.
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Babakura Jato who is the state's commissioner for information made this known on Monday, February 10. In an apparent reaction to the concerns of some Nigerians about the danger of releasing repentant Boko Haram suspects, Jato explained that most of the released persons were not Boko Haram members.
In the wake of the renewed attacks by the dreaded insurgents, many Nigerians had voiced their opinions on social media regarding the release of repentant Boko Haram members back into society.
In a related development, the Senate considered a bill seeking to establish the National Commission Against the Proliferation of Small Arms and Light Weapons. This was disclosed in a statement signed by Ezrel Tabiowo, the special assistant on press to the Senate president.
The bill scaled second reading on the floor of the upper chamber during its plenary session on Wednesday, February 19. Senator Smart Adeyemi, who sponsored the bill said the functions of the commission include identifying sources and routes of small arms and ammunitions, identifying those involved in the illicit trade, and providing harmonization of intelligence and information collection.
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Source: Legit.ng
