Army calls Boko Haram desperate as more terrorists surrender

The Nigerian Army says Boko Haram is making desperate efforts to stop many of its fighters from laying down arms to surrender to authorities.

More than 1,000 fighters and members of their families have surrendered to troops in Borno State this month, a trend the Army credits to its wave of offensive operations.

Army spokesperson, Brigadier General Onyema Nwachuckwu, said in a statement on Monday, August 16, 2021 that 219 more fighters and their families surrendered over the weekend.

67 fighters surrendered to Operation Hadin Kai troops at Forward Operational Base (FOB) Ajiri in Mafa local government area of Borno on Saturday, August 14, alongside 54 women and 65 children.

The terrorists surrendered numerous AK-47 rifles and magazines, a locally made pistol, and eight locally-fabricated daggers.

Four other fighters also surrendered to troops of 151 Task Force Battalion, Banki Junction in Bama on Sunday, August 15, alongside 11 women and 18 children.

Onyema said the wave of defections has drastically lessened the fighting efficiency of the terrorist group, and left its top ranking commanders confused and apprehensive.

"The terrorists are overwhelmed with palpable fear and are making desperate efforts to halt the ongoing surrendering of their fighters from the Tumbus and Sambisa axis," he said.

The latest trend of defections by fighters has also been attributed to the defeat of the main Boko Haram faction by the Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP) that broke from the group years ago.

The ISWAP faction overpowered the Abubakar Shekau-led Boko Haram, ending the life of the man that took charge of the group following the murder of its founder, Mohammed Yusuf, in 2009.

Many fighters belonging to Shekau's faction have been reported to be wary about continuing the insurgency with ISWAP, and are instead opting for the Federal Government's rehabilitation programme that offers a quick path to freedom.

The Operation Safe Corridor programme has long been tainted by controversy for its reintegration of former Boko Haram members.

At least 881 repentant former terrorists have been released since the programme was launched five years ago.

Many Nigerians have been strongly critical of the programme, noting that it made light of the atrocities committed by Boko Haram in more than a decade.

The Islamic sect has terrorised the north east region since 2009 and displaced millions of people from their communities, with their activities spreading to communities in neighbouring countries.

The death toll directly linked to the group's violence has been estimated to be around 35,000, but the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) said in a recent report that the total death toll is 10 times higher.

"We estimate that through the end of 2020, the conflict will have resulted in nearly 350,000 deaths, with 314,000 of those from indirect causes," the report noted.

A significant amount of the casualties were recorded in Borno, Adamawa, and Yobe, with children younger than five years old being the hardest hit.