The Senate President, Ahmed Lawan, has said he agreed with those advocating for the granting of amnesty to surrendered Boko Haram and Islamic State West Africa Province insurgents.
He said doing so would encourage more of them in Sambisa forest and other hideouts in the country to come out, drop their arms and surrender to the military.
According to a statement by Lawan’s Special Adviser on Media, Ola Awoniyi, in Abuja on Monday, the Senate President stated this when he visited the Shehu of Borno, Alhaji Abubakar Ibn Garbai, to condole him over his elder brother’s death.
He described the recent surrender by Boko Haram elements as a good development for the security of this country
The Senate President said, “I believe there is no need for any controversy over what we need to do with people (Boko Haram) who surrendered.
“In any war, in every war, surrender is the ultimate and if we can achieve it, we should do everything and anything possible to encourage more and more to come out so that we are able to come to the end of this unnecessary insurgency that has taken our States back for so many years in term of development.”
Lawan also said the Federal Government would continue to work with the Borno government to ensure restoration of peace and stability in the State.
“Personally, I believe that the federal government must work with the state government and other states in this part of the country to ensure that those that have been received are appropriately processed.
“Those that have no issues to answer are sanitised and taking back to their communities.
”Those that may have issues to answer should be taken through the legal processes, but we must ensure that we encourage Boko Haram elements and those they have taken by force to come out to surrender so that this unnecessary insurgency placed on us comes to an end,” he added.
This article was originally published on Naija News