800 "Repentant" terrorists get relief materials

The federal government has donated relief materials to 800 ex-members of the Boko Haram sect.

According to the the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA), the quarterly programme aims at fast tracking the peace process in the northeast region.

Speaking at the ceremony in Gombe state, the Director General of NEMA, Muhammad Sani Sidi said the exercise was in line with international best practice.

He pledged federal government support for the programme adding that the agency would donate food and non-food items to ensure the full integration of the ex-Boko Haram members into the Nigerian society.

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The items to be released for this purpose include; "410 bags of rice, 400 bags of beans, 200 bags of millet, 200 bags of sorghum, 750 cartons of spaghetti, 50 cartons of Maggi cubes and 810 cartons tomato paste.

"Others are 101 Vegetable oil in 20 liter kegs, 101 palm oil in 20 liter kegs, 50 bags of salt, 100 bags of sugar, 420 cartons of milk and 420 cartons of milo chocolate."

While non-food items include; "800 pieces of mattress, 500 hundred pieces of blanket, 500 pieces of nylon mats, 1000 plastic buckets, 1000 plastic spoons, 1000 plastic cups 1000, plastics plates, 1000 plastic pairs of slippers, 2000 men’s wear, 63 cartons of bath soap and 1000 bath towels."

The coordinator of Operation Safe Corridor, Brigadier-General B.M Shafa who took delivery of the items said the initiative was designed to de-radicalize, rehabilitate and re-integrate "willing and repented Boko Haram insurgents who have come out to surrender to the military" adding that it would quicken the peace process in the region.

“Between September last year and February this year a good number of Boko haram have come out to surrender” he added.

About eleven federal government agencies are directly involved in the Operation Safe Corridor programme.