The Army has raised the alarm that many repentant Boko Haram fighters are backsliding and subverting the war against the insurgents and bandits.
The Theatre Commander of ‘Operation Hadin Kai’, Maj.-Gen. Christopher Musa, disclosed that ‘repentant’ sect members, who have surrendered to troops have ulterior motive.
Also, the Federal Government has expressed worry over the activities of terrorists, bandits and other non-state actors using the country’s non-commercial radio frequency spectrum without licence and payment of appropriate fees.
Miffed by the increasing activities of terrorists in the sub-region, the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) said the worsening insecurity could undermine regional integration and stability.
It was also learnt that foreign donors are sustaining the Islamic State of West Africa Province (ISWAP).
Maj.-Gen. Musa, disclosed that 20,000 insurgents have laid down arms in the Northeast. The cpmmander, who spoke on the sidelines of the Chief of Army Staff Conference in Abuja, said the new challenge is what to do with the repented terrorists.
He said: “We have over 20,000 combatants and their families surrendered. 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.
“Frankly speaking, for us, this is a good development.
“A lot of people have been thinking and also expressing mixed feelings, if at all the news is true. 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.
“Like I said, to us, this is good and if we follow it through in the right way, then, we may begin to see the end of this insurgency sooner than we actually think.”
Gen. Musa explained why the terror group has remained lethal after the death of its leader, Abubakar Shekau.