Army to Boko Haram members: surrender

Members of the Boko Haram sect who
surrender will get free passage, the army said
yesterday.
Acting Brigade Commander of the 21 Armoured
Brigade in Maiduguri, the Borno State capital,
Col. Ibrahim Yusuf, also said that the army
would do everything to protect residents from
attacks. He spoke in Maiduguri.
He said: “I want to assure you that we will give
a safe passage to members of the sect,
including foot soldiers, ready to surrender.
“Those involved can either surrender
themselves at any military outpost or go to
their ward or district head.
“Let me say again that all those who surrender
will not be killed, but will be given safe
passage,” he said
He added that new measures to counter Boko
Haram attacks on civilians had been
introduced but he did not state the measures.
“I want to assure you that the army is doing
everything possible to ensure that no civilian is
attacked by Boko Haram in the state because
we are here to ensure the safety of all
Nigerians,” Col. Yusuf said.
He linked the recent attacks on travellers and
villagers by suspected Boko Haram militants on
highways to frustration.
The acting commander said “most times, the
Boko Haram members go to remote villages to
kill innocent civilians in cold blood because
they have been frustrated by the army”.
“They cannot operate in the open, so they vent
their anger on innocent civilians.’’
Col.Yusuf, who said the military was equal to
the task, noted that “we cannot be taken by
surprise by the Boko Haram; the recent attacks
are nothing but signs of weakness.
“We are also evolving strategies to make sure
that we prevent future attacks, no matter how
small.’’
The Army, also in Damaturu, denied that two of
their VVL Armoured cars were taken away by
Boko Haram invaders during the night attack
on Damaturu.
It also denied reports that an ex-officer who
was purported to have led the attack in
Damaturu on Thursday night was arrested.
The spokesman of the 3 Division Special
Operation Battalion, Damaturu Cpt. Eli Lazarus,
in an sms, said: “The story that the Army
arrested an ex-Colonel who led Yobe Boko
Haram attacks is absolute falsehood. Also, the
purported arrest of a truck containing uniforms
and arms is also not true. “
Capt. Eli said: “We did not lose any of our
armoured vehicles to Boko Haram. All our
machines are intact.”
Damaturu, the state capital, is bouncing back in
the aftermath of the black Thursday.
Church services were successful in the
metropolis, but with low turnout.
Normalcy has also returned to the metropolis
as many shops were open, with residents
making brisk purchase to beat the 4pm curfew
dateline.
The Borno government is to re-build about 200
houses destroyed last week in Kawuri village of
Konduga Local Government Area by suspected
insurgents.
Deputy Governor Zannah Mustapha gave this
indication yesterday when he visited the village.
He said the government would compensate
traders who lost their shops during the attack.
Mustapha directed the Konduga Local
Government Caretaker Committee to prepare a
list of all those affected.
He said that since attacks by insurgents had
become a daily affair in remote areas, the
affected communities must form vigilante
groups to defend themselves.
“I am here to condole with the community over
last week’s attack by suspected Boko Haram
militants.
“I want to appeal to all those who suffered
losses to take it as an act of God, because it is
only Him who gives or takes away.
“ Communities who are vulnerable to this kind
of attack must begin to introduce a kind of
community policing to prevent future attacks.
“What I am saying is that individuals must
come out to form vigilante groups to defend
themselves against attacks.
“The best form of security is community
policing. People must be ready to fight and
defend themselves against Boko Haram,
through the formation of vigilante groups,” he
said.
While promising that the government would
collaborate with security agencies to
strengthen security in the area, Mustapha urged
the community to copy the experience of
Maiduguri, the state capital, which used to be
the stronhold of the insurgents.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that
about 18 persons were injured after suspected
insurgents attacked the community last week,
destroying about 200 houses, 50 shops and
many vehicles.