Pastor Lawan Andimi, Daciya Dalep, Fatima, the Auno 30, scores in Chibok and many more whose names never made it to your ears and mine were killed in less than 2 months of 2020 alone by these daredevil terrorists, Boko Haram.
An innocent child, Leah Sharibu, who refused to convert to Islam, a faithful aid worker, Grace Taku, over 100 chibok school girls and thousands whose names are not known to remain hostages in the custody of these terrorists.
Boko Haram Influences and Assessments
Boko Haram has taken control in the north-eastern section of Nigeria, where the police and army have effectively lost control. They have succeeded in imposing terror upon the people in the capital of Borno, Maiduguri, and Damaturu in Yobe States and indeed the whole country.
Boko Haram has been able to tap into the discontent among northern Muslims, who have not been satisfied with the imposition of Sharia during the years since 2000. The people believe that draconian punishments would curtail corruption and crime, but Boko Haram offers a more direct and violent solution.
There are reports that even northern Muslim soldiers sent to infiltrate the group have joined it. Opposition from major Muslim religious figures in the north suggests that Boko Haram has local opposition that it needs to silence to maintain its control.
Now imagine, more than a decade later, an estimate of over 30,000 deaths have been recorded (minus innocent Nigerians who did not make the list), and Nigeria is well on its way to reward the Boko Haram insurgents. Seriously?
The Senate on Thursday started the process of establishing an agency that would fully reintegrate repentant Boko Haram terrorists into the Nigerian society. The bill to establish the agency passed first reading on Thursday at plenary.
The proposed agency, according to the proposed legislation, would provide education for insurgents. It would also rehabilitate, de-radicalize and integrate the repentant insurgents in the country.
The bill is titled, ‘National Agency for the Education, Rehabilitation, De-radicalization, and Integration of Repentant Insurgents in Nigeria’ sponsored by the former governor of Yobe state, Ibrahim Geidam.
My first thought when I heard that our lawmakers who we elected to bear our grievances and legislate, now take time out of their supposed busy schedule to commence a process that will lead to the establishment of an agency like this, was to respond to Patrick Lumumba that our lawmakers are indeed horrible members!
The former director of Kenya’s anti-corruption commission, Patrick Lumumba said
“being honourable” or “horrible” members is determined by the quality of service lawmakers deliver to Nigerians,
A bill for amnesty for terrorists passing the first reading, in the middle of an active battle against terrorism in the country is a joke that is not funny!
In seeking Amnesty for the insurgents, is the North East Development Commission that addresses post insurgency issues in the region including the rehabilitation and resettlement of victims of Boko Haram terrorist attacks, not enough?
While we try to understand the rationale in releasing 1,400 ‘repentant’ Boko haram members back into the society during the daily attacks in the North East, why should our priority be the Education, Rehabilitation, De-radicalization, and Integration of Repentant Terrorists for God’s sake?
The lawmakers seating time that your money and mine pay for amounts to waste because barely 24 hours after scores were killed in Chibok by Boko Haram, one lawmaker moves a bill to make the lives of the terrorists better when they daily destroy ours?
Who did we offend as a country that has refused to forgive us? Nigeria has fallen!
The Christian Association of Nigeria has described this bill as troubling and suspicious asking for the guarantee that the freed ex-terrorists would not return to Sambisa forest and pick up their arms against innocent Nigerians, well the answer is our lawmakers don’t care, how would they when they are blinded by what will be gained in the establishment of the Amnesty agency.
The proposed agency, according to the legislation, would provide educational opportunities for the terrorist whose walking, talking mantra is ‘non-Islamic, western education is a sin’.
Have we forgotten that we just marked 730 days that a 16-year-old schoolgirl, Leah Sharibu has been held as a slave by the same group and the over 5 years abduction of over 100 school girls who were taken because they subscribed to western education, or are we just heartless?
Even Ahmed Salkida who is considered to have links with the terror group warned that the “so-called rehabilitation and release of BokoHaram members presumed to be repentant is a most ill-informed strategy and should be suspended indefinitely”.
Why are we looking away from the experience of the victims and focusing on the perpetrators of the violent acts to re-integrate into a society they victimized?
What is the fate of the over 3 million displaced by Boko haram?
Whose hard-earned taxpayer’s money will be used to fund this agency?
What was this All Progressives Congress lawmaker thinking that he dared to put pen to paper and draft such a bill, more so at this time?
Either way, while the commander in chief of Nigeria’s armed forces and his army chief continue to deceive themselves that an end to Boko Haram is just days away, you and I can recall a representative that has decided to go AWOL and decided flip the script on us!
Enough is enough!
