The military yesterday in Abuja said 8,000 Boko Haram members voluntarily surrendered to its “Operation Safe Corridor” in the Northeast.
Director of Defence Information Brig.-Gen. Rabe Abubakar spoke at a lecture organised by the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Correspondents’ Chapel.
Abubakar said the surrendered insurgents were in a camp in Gombe waiting to be “de-radicalised” by the military.He also said over 10,000 Boko Haram captives were rescued by the military.
The Defence spokesman said some of them were reunited with their families, while others were taken to Internally Displaced Person’s (IDP) camps.
Abubakar said Boko Haram had been decimated by the military, and that the Federal Government would rehabilitate victims and rebuilt affected areas.
He also hinted that the military would launch “Operation Safe Corridor” to address the menace of herdsmen across the country. The Defence spokesman promised that the military operation would put an end to the killings by herdsmen.
Responding to questions on the action by the military declaring some journalists wanted, he urged the media not to allow sentiments to influence their judgment on the issue.
He said the military should be allowed to do its work, while assuring them that no journalist would be victimised.
Abubakar said good military-media relationship was crucial to winning the war against insurgency. He said the media drove public support for the military, which had boosted the morale of officers and the rank-and-file.