Army to free 2 senior Boko Haram bomb experts after rehabilitation

Two senior Boko Haram commanders and hundreds of fighters who have surrendered to the military have been promised rehabilitation and reintegration back into the society.

Chief bomb expert of the terrorist group, known as Musa Adamu, aka Mala Musa Abuja, and his second-in-command, Usman Adamu, aka Abu Darda, surrendered to troops in Bama local government area of Borno State.

335 terrorists, and members of their families, totalling 746 women and children, surrendered to the troops, according to a statement released by the Army on Monday, August 9, 2021.

The acting General Officer Commanding (GOC) 7 Division and Commander Sector 1 Operation Hadin Kai, Brigadier General Abdulwahab Eyitayo, visited Headquarters 21 Special Armoured Brigade Bama on Saturday, August 7 to receive the terrorists and their families.

He said their decision to surrender was highly commendable, and urged them to talk to their former colleagues to do the same.

The military chief said the terrorists will undergo some rehabilitation process at a government facility before reintegration into the larger society.

The government's 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.