Theatre Commander of “Operation Hadin Kai” Major-General Christopher Musa has accused repentant Boko Haram members of being insincere in their surrendering to the government.
Mr Musa disclosed yesterday that 20,000 fighters in the Northeast had surrendered their arms. The commander said the challenge then was to decide what to do with them.
“We have over 20,000 combatants and their families surrendered,” he said. “This tells you there is something we are doing right. What we do with them after surrendering is our next focus.
“The expectation is that after all have surrendered, then, everything will fizzle out. But, that is not the case.”
Mr Musa explained that despite the good news, the government should still practice caution.
“A lot of people have been thinking and also expressing mixed feelings, if at all the news is true,” he continued. “Of course, there are some insurgents who truly wish to surrender, but we cannot jettison the fact that some of them do have ulterior motives.”
The general then went on to explain why the group was still dangerous following the death of leader Abubakar Shekau.
“Before Shekau died, they pledged allegiance to the Islamic State in the West African Province ISWAP,” he explained. “And ISWAP gets its funding from foreign donors. It is the lust for these monies that have further emboldened them.
“It has nothing to do with religion or any form of ideology, but purely driven by the quest for money.”
