Surrendered Insurgents Shouldn’t Go Scot-Free – Mohammed Ndume

Chairman of the Senate Committee on Army, Mohammed Ndume has come out to say that repentant insurgents who have surrendered to the military should not be freed unconditionally.

Ndume recently revealed this while fielding questions from State House Correspondents on Saturday after a meeting with President Muhammadu Buhari at the presidential villa, Abuja.

According to him, the fact is that ex-insurgents cannot be allowed to go scot-free just because they have surrendered or they are innocent.

He added that it doesn’t matter if they give themselves up or not, all insurgents should be subjected to national and international laws.

His words, “My stance on this has not changed, only that maybe people interpret it the way they want. There is a national law that should guide all these and there’s international law that guides this because this is not the first time we’re having this sort of challenge in various countries.”

“Normally, when you get to war level, you are expected to either defeat the enemy or the enemy surrenders. Once the enemy surrenders, you lose the right to summarily execute him because he is an enemy.”

“‘You also don’t have the right to summarily declare him innocent and say, Oh, you have sinned, go and sin no more.”

“What I’m saying initially, and I still maintain this position, is that as much as we welcome the surrender of Boko Haram, it is very important that we follow the due process, according to the law of the land and the international law.”

“That is to say, take them in, profile them, process them, investigate them, interrogate them and then those that are innocent, should be let go, and those that have blood in their hands, they should be appropriately prosecuted.”

“Once the person surrenders, now, he has an advantage. Once you surrender, you cannot just be summarily convicted, you will be given the right to go to court and declare your innocence or otherwise. That is what I’m asking for.”

“I’m also saying that as long as the war is continuing, it is now time to apply the carrot and stick approach. While we are prosecuting the war rigorously in order to bring it to an end, a window is available to tell those that are willing to surrender, that you can surrender and then you will be processed accordingly.”

“After that defeat or after the war has come to an end and the window is there for them to surrender as they are surrendering in droves now, they should be processed, they should be investigated.”

“We have sat down in Borno State last week, as stakeholders, to look at what are the suggestions or what are the ways that these people can, after surrendering, be managed according to the law.”