Gov. Babagana Zulum of Borno says the State government is yet to account for the whereabouts of 10 per cent of its population following the 12-year old insurgency in the North-East.
The available statistics indicate that Borno State had a population of 5.6 million people as at 2016.
Zulum told State House correspondents after a closed-door meeting with President Muhammadu Buhari in the Presidential Villa, Abuja, on Tuesday that over 100,000 people also lost their lives to the deadly activities of the insurgents.
“I came to brief Mr President about the ongoing surrender by insurgents. I think, to me and to the greater majority of people of Borno State, this is a very good development.
“In the last 12 years, thousands of lives were lost; people have completely lost their means of livelihood.
“We have a total number of over 50,000 orphans and widows; these are official figures, the unofficial figures are more than this.
“We were able to cultivate not more than three per cent of our total arable land because of the insurgency.
“Right now, the whereabouts of not less than 10 per cent of people of Borno State is not known to all of us, at all.
“This is a very serious matter and I think the report of the surrendering of the insurgents, to me in particular and to the greater people of Borno State, is a very welcomed development.
“Unless we want to continue with an endless war, I see no reason why we shall reject those that are willing to surrender.”
The governor revealed that about 2,600 suspected Boko Haram insurgents who surrendered had been taken into custody by security agencies in the State.
He, however, said that not all of the suspects were criminals.
He gave assurance that all the insurgents who surrendered would be properly profiled and the innocent ones among them would be immediately resettled.
“Right now, we have about 2,600 in our custody but mind you, this number is inclusive of their children and their wives including their families.
“Among these people that have surrendered, some are innocent.
“We have started profiling them with the Nigerian Army and the Directorate of State Services (DSS).
“Those that have not committed a heinous crime, especially the teenagers and women, we can find an immediate way of resettling them back.
“Those that are deeply involved also we shall look into the possibility of training them so that at a later stage, the Federal and the State government will decide to keep them so as to address the issue holistically.
“The good news is that the Nigerian Army is providing enough support to us.
“We are getting enough cooperation from the Nigerian Army, DSS and the Nigerian Police; we thank God for the President.
“Unless we want to continue with an endless war, I see no reason why we should reject those that are willing to surrender.
“The President has given me and the people of Borno State the assurances of his continuous support in this direction so that this matter can be resolved amicably.”
Zulum said that the State government had embarked on consultations to develop a framework that would end insurgency in the North-East.
“Deepening internal democracy and social cohesion is the prelude to sustainable peace in any nation.
“Therefore, we are not unaware of the negative effects of this programme and that is why we want to see the involvement of the Federal government in a large scale.
“The way forward is that we shall immediately hold a stakeholders meeting in Borno State, comprising of the Ministries of Defence, Interior, Humanitarian Affairs, the Attorney General and most importantly, the National Intelligence Agency also because we have some foreign involvements in the matter.
“We will also involve traditional rulers and the victims so that we can come up with resolutions and far reaching recommendations that can be programmed in a structured manner.
“The recommendations shall be forwarded to the President,” Zulum said.
