No fewer than 45 persons including 14 teenagers and 31 other women and children, who were hitherto fighters of Boko Haram and ISWAP on Monday surrendered to the Nigerian military troops, in the North East.
PRNigeria gathered that the ‘repentant’ terrorists publicly renounced their membership on Monday at Konduga Local Government Area of Borno State.
They thereafter, turned in themselves to the Battalion Commanders and troops of Operation Hadin Kai.
According to a military intelligence operative, who craved anonymity, those former members of the terror group, however did not surrender themselves together with their weapons.
“Among the 45 terrorists’ members who surrendered, 21 are from Garin Dinya and 24 from jaja kalwa villages,” he said.
Five of the ex-Boko Haram-ISWAP fighters, while speaking to PRNigeria, noted that they were forcefully conscripted to join the terrorists’ groups.
Modu Malaram from Jaja Kalwa said: “Wallahi, most of us were young or weak to fight the Boko Haram Commanders who picked us from our villages.
“All the while, we knew the group is evil, but could not fight or protest because we could have been killed. Those that attempted to flee were summarily executed in our presence.
“Even though I, my wife and my child have surrendered, I am not sure if the people in our village would trust us again.”
On what gave them the gut to come out and ‘publicly’ surrender, Malaram, said the division between the terrorists’ groups distracted their commanders, and emboldened members like him to become ‘recalcitrant’.
Hence, summoning the courage to quit his membership of the sect.
“After the death of Shekau, there were infighting and divisions, which made some of us happy. And then, the aerial bombardments by the military were sustained which forced many of us to flee our forests’ camps. This is what made us to come out and surrender,” he added.
Meanwhile, PRNigeria learnt from credible sources that more ISWAP-Boko Haram fighters have concluded plans to surrender themselves and their weapons, in the coming weeks.
Last Sunday, PRNigeria reported that Nigerian Military Received 605 Repentant Boko Haram-ISWAP Members before the latest figure.
