Media reports in recent days about mass surrender of Boko Haram terrorists in Borno State has greatly pleased Nigerians. So far, over 1000 terrorists and their families have reportedly laid down their arms and surrendered to the troops. It could be the beginning of the end of the long nightmare that has been the insurgency in the North East for more than a decade, which cost the nation thousands of lives, livelihoods destroyed and untold amounts of money expended.
Boko Haram insurgency has been the greatest security threat this country faced since the Civil War. It is a tribute to the gallantry and resilience of the Nigerian armed forces that they have now gotten the decisive upper hand in the battle to see it to a successful conclusion.
However, as the tide of battle turned in favour of the Nigerian military, the major question on the minds of Nigerians is what to do with Boko Haram fighters who have been surrendering in the battlefields. While it is important to encourage more of them to surrender in order to hasten the end of the war, most citizens who bore the brunt of the terrorist groups’ atrocities are not in the mood to forgive them.
Many citizens demand that they be summarily dealt with for the pain and anguish they caused Nigerians. Some communities in the areas worst affected by the activities of the terrorists have come out to reject any attempt to return them to those areas. It is quite possible that returning terrorists may face reprisals from these communities on account of what they did.
Governor Babagana Zulum of Borno State, Shehu of Borno Abubakar Umar el-Kanemi and Arewa Consultative Forum Chairman Chief Audu Ogbeh have all spoken in like manner. Zulum and the Shehu both said traumatised communities are not ready to welcome back “repentant” insurgents while ACF said those who surrender must still answer for their crimes. We fully agree with this reasoning.
As a democratic country which operates under the rule of law and is signatory to international conventions on the treatment of adversaries in war, we should be guided by these tenets. There are extant laws in our statute books that we can rely on to handle the issue. Former terrorists should be properly profiled and investigated to ascertain the extent of their involvement in the planning and execution of atrocities. Those whose involvement was peripheral could be separated from those whose involvement was deeper than that.
Accordingly, the punishments that will be handed out to those found culpable after the trials should reflect the extent of their involvement. As for those whose cases are not compelling enough for them to undergo trials, being themselves unwilling hostages or victims of the terrorists, they must still be kept away from communities for a long period of time.
Government could keep them in rehabilitation camps for many years to remove from their psyche the traumatic effects of coming under such a harrowing experience. They should on no account be allowed back into the society without undergoing such reorientation. Otherwise, the risk exists that communities may visit any returnees with jungle justice.
