OBINNA EZUGWU
The Defence Headquarters of the Nigerian army on Saturday announced the reintegration of 601 ex-Boko Haram terrorists, including 14 foreign nationals from Cameroon, Chad and Niger into the society through their respective national and state authorities.
The 601 repentant terrorists have been given N20,000 stipends and some basic equipment to practise their respective vocations.
This is according to the Borno State Commissioner for Information, Babakura Jatau who spoke to PUNCH on Saturday
Jatau told PUNCH that the funds and the starter packs were given to the repentant terrorists by the North East Development Commission and the International Organisation for Migration.
He, however, denied reports that the state government was giving each of the beneficiaries N100,000.
According to him, only about 10 per cent of the 601 repentant terrorists were actually Boko Haram members while the rest were those who were abducted and became accomplices.
“They are 601 of them and the question of government giving them N100,000 each does not arise. What happened is that the North East Development Commission gave them starter packs. Some of them trained as barbers so they were given clippers and generators and then given N20,000 cash and their shops will be paid for,” Punch quoted him as saying.
“What the government will do is that they will be brought to Borno State from Gombe and they will be housed in two orientation camps where there are facilities for training and for them to practise whatever they were taught in Gombe.
