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Stop negative narratives on surrendered insurgents – FG warns

The Federal Government has admonished fifth columnists and naysayers to stop spewing negative and false narratives around Boko Haram members who are surrendering in droves in the North-East.
The Minister of Information and Culture, Alhaji Lai Mohammed gave the admonition in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Friday in Washington.
NAN reports that that no fewer than 1,000 Boko Haram fighters and their families have handed themselves over to army units in recent weeks in the southern Borno towns of Konduga, Bama, and Mafa.
The minister berated those who were alleging that the surrendered insurgents were not actual Boko Haram fighters and if they were, they should be shot rather than granted amnesty.
He also described as “false and demoralising’’ the claim in certain quarters that the surrendered insurgents would be recruited into the Nigerian military
Mohammed said rather than changing the narratives, President Muhammadu Buhari and the military should be respectfully commended for their resourcefulness and doggedness respectively in the fight against insurgency.
“The fact that we are witnessing insurgents submitting in droves calls for commendation of our military for their doggedness.
“We must not forget that two months ago, Nigerians were putting pressure on the President to recruit mercenaries to fight the war against terror because they said we were losing the war.
“The President, however, remained focused and confident in his belief in the Nigerian military that they have what it takes to defeat the insurgents.
“We thank God that Mr President today has been proven right.
“We were able to achieve this, largely because of the leadership of Mr President in providing the wherewithal continually to the military and ensuring that their fighting morale is sustained by way of welfare packages,’’ he said.
The minister said it was unfortunate and inconceivable that some Nigerians would be going about with fake news that the surrendered insurgent would be engaged into the military.
Mohammed added that the call for the prosecution and killing of the repentant militants rather than granting them amnesty was against global best practices.
“I personally spoke to the military authority before I left Nigeria and they said what they were doing is what the global practice dictates about soldiers that surrendered that should be treated as prisoners of war.
“You cannot just shoot them because there are international conventions that give rights also to prisoners of war
“What the military is doing is that, when they surrender, they profile them to ensure that they are genuine and reintegrate them into the society,’’ he said.
Mohammed also said that the situation in Afghanistan was not the same as in Nigeria because there was no time the Nigerian that the military had engaged repentant militants.
For those yet to surrendered, the minister said the military would not rest on its oars but continue to pursue the Boko Haram and ISWAP members until they could no longer be harmful to Nigerians. (NAN)
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Opposition no longer safe with recruitment of Osun PDP members into Amotekun – APM

The Allied Peoples Movement (APM) in Osun State has raised concerns over the alleged recruitment of members of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) into the state’s Amotekun Corps, claiming it threatens the safety of opposition members.
In a statement issued on Friday, APM Chairman, Mr. Adewale Adebayo, criticized the recruitment process, alleging that non-PDP applicants were deliberately screened out. He warned that Amotekun, originally created to enhance security, was being turned into a political tool.
“We are disturbed by the protest by well-meaning Osun residents who applied but were deliberately excluded because they are not PDP members,” Adebayo stated.
He further alleged that over 1,000 PDP members had been recruited into the corps, describing it as an attempt to silence opposition voices. According to him, the recruitment exercise was merely a formality to cover up a pre-arranged selection process favoring ruling party members.
APM has called for the resignation of the Corps Commandant and Field Commandant of Amotekun, demanding an apology to the affected applicants and the people of the state. The party insisted that the security outfit must remain apolitical to maintain public trust.
Neither the Osun State Government nor the leadership of Amotekun has responded to the allegations as of the time of this report.
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