'Battling insecurity' 1,000 insurgents prosecuted, 500 jailed, CDS Irabor says

The Chief of Defence Staff, Gen. Lucky Irabor, has said that 1,000 insurgents have been prosecuted while 500 jailed since the inception of Operation Safe Corridor saddled with the responsibility of deradicalising repentant insurgents.

Some of them, he said, were jailed for five to 60 years, adding that more members of the terror group will go on trial in June.

The CDS disclosed this at a meeting in Abuja on Monday, tagged: ‘The North-East Symposium on Reintegration, Reconciliation and Resettlement.’

Irabor, who was represented by the OPSC Commander, Maj. Gen. Bamidele Ashafa, said, “The federal government of Nigeria does not condone Boko Haram. Over 1,000 Boko Haram members have been prosecuted. I want to use this opportunity to say that over 500 have been jailed and are serving various jail terms for up to 60 years, the minimum term is five years.

“Arrangements are also being concluded to begin the trial of another set of Boko Haram suspects. That will start between now and June.”

In her remarks, the Country Director, Centre for Humanitarian Dialogue, Ms Millicent Ojomo, said the two-day event was a continuation of its policy dialogue to ensure that the objectives of ensuring rehabilitation, reconciliation and resettlement were realised.

She called for synergy on the part of all stakeholders to make the summit a reality.

In his goodwill message, Deputy Head of Mission and Team Leader, Economic Cooperation and Energy, Alexandre Borges-Gomez, stressed the need for stakeholders to go beyond humanitarian challenges and evolve an integrated approach and a sustainable strategy.

The British High Commissioner to Nigeria, Catriona Laing, said the UK was worried about the Boko Haram insurgency and the concomitant humanitarian crisis.

She said there was the need for governors of the North-East and the heads of states of the Lake Chad Basin countries to work in synergy to enable communities to recover their livelihoods.