The Borno government says more Boko Haram terrorists are laying down their arms because authorities adopted a non-kinetic warfare.

The special adviser to Governor Babagana Zulum, Abdullahi Ishaq, disclosed this in Maiduguri while speaking on the Borno model in ending the Islamists’ insurgency through non-kinetic approach at a stakeholders dialogue on enhancing peace and security.

Mr Ishaq, who also delivered a paper detailing how over 35,000 surrenderd Boko Haram terrorists were being managed, said the non-kinetic approach adopted by ‘Operation Hadin Kai’ of the Nigeria Military Command and Control Centre played an immense role that led to the mass surrender.

The Borno government said the “repentant” terrorists would not harm anyone because they were not forced to repent.

He said the non-kinetic approach adopted in the counter-insurgency effort woos more insurgents to repentant.

“Another good thing about this non kinetic approach we call the Borno model is that the rate of attack and kidnapping on the Maiduguri-Damaturu road and the Maiduguri-Monguno road has reduced drastically. Farming activities have also resumed and farmers are harvesting their crops with less tension,” he said.

Mr Ishaq noted during the peak of the insurgency, women, including nursing mothers and pregnant women as well as Quranic pupils (almajirai) and their teachers, particularly in Bama and Dikwa local governments were abducted and taken to the bush by the insurgents who occupied the areas.

He lauded one of the repentant Boko-Haram member identified as Modu, who he said was key in mobilising others to surrender by leading the first group of 37 fighters to surrender in Bama local government.

“Modu, who is from Dikwa, was an undergraduate a university. He lost his father and came for the seventh-day prayer, after the prayer on his way back he was captured in Mafa and taken to the bush; that was how Modu became Boko haram member,” he explained. “He is among the 500 repentant Boko Haram members so far reintegrated. Six of them are working with the military in rural areas providing credible information and reaching out to others in the bush to also surrender.”

While lauding all stakeholders for the support to the non-kinetic approach, particularly the military and other security agencies committed to end the insurgency, Mr Ishaq urged the public to support the peace process.

(NAN)