Sen. Ndume opposes Geidam’s Boko Haram Agency Rehabilitation bill

Senator Ali Ndume, a lawmaker from Borno State, has declared strong opposition to the ‘National Agency for the Education, Rehabilitation, De-radicalisation and Integration of repentant insurgents in Nigeria (Est, etc) Bill, 2020 (SB. 340)’ bill presented at the Senate on Thursday by Senator Ibrahim Geidam, a lawmaker from Yobe State.

Senator Ali Ndume, Chairman of the Senate Committee on Army, in a media interaction unequivocally stated he is completely against the Boko Haram agency bill.

Ndume maintained that the bill is outrightly unacceptable, adding that his colleagues know his position on this.

“I, personally, disagree with that. The war is not over and some criminals that have been killing people, you say that you are doing Operation Safe Corridor for them.

“I am completely against that idea. They know my position on that, you can’t do that.

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“It is when you win the war and some people surrender that you think about something like that,” Ndume had declared.

The Senator cautioned that the idea of the bill will only make Boko Haram have more recruits since they are sure of rehabilitation and reintegration into society.

“You are just telling people to go and join Boko Haram and then repent and become something (sic) that’s a totally unacceptable idea and a way of solving the problem,” Ndume argued.

Senator Gaidam, representing Yobe East District in the Ninth National Assembly, a former Governor of Yobe State, presented  the bill at the senate plenary on ‘National Agency for the Education, Rehabilitation, De-radicalisation and Integration of repentant insurgents in Nigeria (Est, etc) Bill, 2020 (SB. 340)’; for First Reading which was listed for the day’s legislative proceedings by the Media Unit of the Office of the President to the Senate.

The Senate session was presided over on Thursday by the Deputy President of the Senate, Ovie Omo-Agege. The President of the Senate, Ahmad Lawan, was not present at the session.

The Boko Haram agency bill may be listed for consideration when the Senate resumes next week.