Crime

Deradicalised Boko Haram usually return back to terror group,Zulum says

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Deradicalised Boko Haram usually return back to terror group,Zulum says

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Governor of Borno State, Babagana Zulum, has condemned the Federal Government’s policy on deradicalisation of Boko Haram terrorists, saying it has led to more terror for the country.

Zulum made this statement on Wednesday while delivering his speech at the North-East Governors’ Forum meeting at the Banquet Hall, Government House, Bauchi State.

According to him, the Boko Haram terrorists who went through the training later went back to join the terrorists group and wreck more havoc on the country.

His words: “Your Excellencies, another aspect of the war against the insurgency that needs to be urgently reviewed or modified, is the issue of deradicalisation of Boko Haram terrorists, who have been captured or have willingly surrendered themselves to the authorities.

“It has been confirmed that the concept of de-radicalization or Safe Corridor is not working as expected. Quite often, those who have passed through the Safe Corridor Initiative, or have been de-radicalized, usually go back and rejoin the terror group after carefully studying the various security arrangements in their host communities, during the reintegration process.

“In addition, the host communities where the reintegration process is going on usually resent the presence of Boko Haram terrorists, even if they have been de-radicalized, because of the despicable and atrocious activities they have committed in the past.

“So the idea of deradicalisation, as currently being implemented, needs to be reviewed because the main goals and the underlying objectives behind the initiative are not being achieved.

“The best option is to immediately prosecute the terrorists, in accordance with the Terrorism Act. However, those people who, ab initio, were forcefully recruited but have been rescued or have escaped from the group, should be the ones to be subjected to the deradicalisation process.”

The Governor also lamented the slow progress in the prosecution of arrested terrorists.

He said, “On the prosecution of terrorists, we must make efforts to avoid the current encumbrances and intricacies associated with the process, which usually takes considerable time, by urging the appropriate federal authorities to devolve the powers of the Minister of Justice and Attorney-General of the Federation to State Attorneys-General in order to facilitate the prosecution process.

“At the moment, only the Attorney-General of the Federation is statutorily empowered to prosecute terrorists, which, quite often, results in avoidable delays. We once again call on the Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Justice to delegate his prosecutorial fiat to the States Attorneys General to prosecute such cases in their respective states as justice delayed is justice denied.”