Repentant Boko Haram cannot escape prosecution, Ndume insists

The Chairman of the Senate Committee on Army, Ali Ndume, on Saturday said repentant Boko Haram members and other insurgents cannot escape prosecution just because they have surrendered.

Ndume who spoke with State House correspondent after a meeting with President Muhammadu Buhari in Abuja, demanded the prosecution of repentant Boko Haram insurgents.

Recall that the Nigerian Army claimed last month that over 300 insurgents and their families had surrendered to troops in the North-East.

The army had since initiated plans to rehabilitate the insurgents under the Safe Corridor programme.

He said: “My stance on this has not changed, only that maybe people interpret it the way they want. There is a national law that should guide all these and there is international law that guides this because this is not the first time we are having this sort of challenge in various countries.

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“Normally, when you get to war level, you are expected to either defeat the enemy or the enemy surrenders. Once the enemy surrenders, you lose the right to summarily execute him because he is an enemy. You also don’t have the right to summarily declare him innocent and say, oh, you have sinned, go and sin no more.

“What I’m saying initially and I still maintain this position, in as much as we welcome the surrendering of Boko Haram, it is very important that we follow the due process based on the law of the land and international law.

“That is to say, take them in, profile them, process them, investigate them, interrogate them and then those that are innocent, should be let go. Those with blood in their hands should be appropriately prosecuted.

“Once the person surrenders now, he has an advantage. Once you surrender, you cannot just be summarily convicted. You will be given the privilege of going to court and declaring your innocence or otherwise. That is what I’m asking for.”