The Senate has faulted the Federal government’s programme of deradicalising repentant Boko Haram members towards their reintegration into the society.
In addition, it called on the Federal government to unmask and prosecute sponsors of terrorism.
The Senate, however, called on the presidency to increase the annual budgetary allocation to the Nigerian Army in view of the military operations, including fighting insurgency, which require procurement of sophisticated equipment, arms and ammunition.
Chairman of the Senate Committee on Army, Senator Ali Ndume, said when the Nigerian Army appeared before the committee to defend its 2021 budget estimate, the repentant Boko Haram members should be brought to justice rather than being reintegrated into the society.
He said: “We are still calling on the Nigerian government that those that are directly or indirectly involved in Boko Haram activities should be brought to book and used as an example. I think we have not been up and doing on that.
“We are in disagreement with the government on the issue of deradicalising and reintegrating (Boko Haram repentants). We still maintain that. You can’t be resettling people, pampering them while the war is on. The committee is on the same page and I believe many Nigerians are on the same page with this.”
He recalled that not too long ago, 75 Muslims above age 60 were killed by Boko Haram insurgents in his village in Borno State.
“In my village, mallams that are Muslims, not ordinary Muslims, but mallams (clerics), elders above 60, quote me, 75 of them were taken to an abattoir and slaughtered by Boko Haram.
“Can you imagine that the Nigerian Army or the Nigerian government is saying that because these people have gone to repent, or they say they have their hands up, you bring them back and pamper them.
“If you give Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) in Borno N150, 000 as pack as they give them (Boko Haram repentants) we have 10,000 of them there…. they are displaced, suffering. They know these people that killed their people, it is wrong,” he added.
Ndume stressed the need to increase the yearly budgetary allocation to the army to enable the officers and men perform optimally, adding that the allocation should henceforth be front rolled.
“In a period of war where the country is borrowing and is planning to spend N13 trillion, government is budgeting less than N30 billion as capital for the Nigerian Army. The committee’s position is that as a matter of urgency the budget of the Nigerian Army should be increased.
“Not only that, we are advocating they should be front rolled, that means if they sign the budget, you give them their vote so that they can start their procurement process because unlike other procurement that you can buy here, buy there, the Nigerian Army’s have to be processed. Before you even finish the process, it takes a long time,” he stated.
While confirming that the Senate has the power to increase the budgetary allocation to the Army, Ndume, however, stated that there are procedures, adding that consultation is already on with stakeholders to do so.
He said: “We have engaged the Nigerian Army and we are going to engage the executive to make them understand that based on what we oversight, what they budgeted, they need to increase the budget of the Nigerian army.
“So far, we are on the same page with the executive. We are going to work together and make them understand that there is need to increase allocation to the army. Some of them do these things and present it to Mr. President without him knowing the implications.”