Governor Babagana Umara Zulum of Borno state has reaffirmed his government’s commitment to continue to deradicalise, rehabilitate and reintegrate voluntarily surrendered Boko Haram insurgents and rescued youth and children abducted and conscripted.
He also reassured that government will continue to reunite and empower the repentant insurgents and their victims who were forcefully conscripted into the Boko Haram group while expressing happiness with their escape and rescue. They prayed for the release and rescue of others who are still in the hand of the insurgents.
The governor stated this Monday in his Musa Usman secretariat office when the escapees and their children were presented to the governor by the Borno state commissioner of Women Affairs and Social Development, Hajiya Zuwaira Gambo.
He also appealed to the people to accept the repentant insurgents, embrace them and forgive them while the state government will continue to collaborate with the security agencies to provide adequate security to lives and property of the citizenry.
The Women Affairs Commissioner, Hajiya Zuwaira Gambo, earlier in her remarks said the ladies and the children are indigenes of Borno and Adamawa states who took the bull by the horns risking their lives to have trekked for hours in the bush in search of safety from the insurgents when they escaped.
She added that three of the ladies are from Chibok LGA of Borno state who were abducted in Takulasha village of Chibok LGA of Borno state by the boko Haram insurgents while the other three ladies were abducted in Kufere village of Hong LGA of Adamawa state.
Hajiya Zuwaira lamented that the ladies and the children took the pain to escape from Boko Haram custody in the bush trekking for almost 6 hours in the bush before seeing the light and reaching security point for their rescue.
She added that they have since then been under the security custody as usual for profiling, screening or interrogation and medical attention before they were later handed over to the state government by the military for further deradicalisation and rehabilitation before they will be reintegrated with their families and the society at large.
