The Nigerian Army has rubbished reports that claim that the military is granting amnesty to notorious Boko Haram terrorists, saying the reports are false.
The army however admitted that over 1,000 members of Boko Haram have surrendered to the military in recent past.
“Our attention has been drawn to a publication by some online news medium released in which the authors deliberately misrepresented the facts contained in that report and twisted it to suit whatever purpose they seek to achieve,” Brigadier General Onyema Nwachukwu, director army public relations said.
“While the Nigerian Army does not want to be distracted from its main focus of dealing decisively with the threats against peace loving Nigerians, it has become necessary to put issues in their right perspectives.
The Nigerian Army added that, “It is a known fact that in the recent past, over 1,000 members of Boko Haram and their families have surrendered to the troops due to the intense pressure from troops’ sustained offensive actions. Among those were key leaders of the terrorists group who have renounced their membership and have turned themselves in.
“The Nigerian Army being a professional military organisation will continue to act in accordance with the dictates of the Nigerian Constitution, as well as international best practices.
“It must be known that the Nigerian Army will never encourage any act of lawlessness or extra judicial killings. Accordingly, all surrendered terrorists will be received, processed and passed on to the relevant agencies of Government for further assessment in line with extant provisions.
According to Brigadier Nwachukwu, “The ongoing Operation Safe Corridor is an outfit established by the Federal Government and not the Nigerian Army. As such, it is absolutely wrong to say that the NA will free repentant terrorists.
“The Nigerian Army therefore appeals to the public to disregard the deliberate distortion of facts by these online mediums and continue to support the NA in order to rid the country of terrorism and other forms of insecurity.
“The Chief of Army Staff Lieutenant General Faruk Yahaya has reiterated his admonition to all terrorists groups operating in the country to abandon their illegitimate cause and surrender to troops,” he said.
