Senate President Ahmad Lawan says Boko Haram members willing to surrender should be encouraged to end insurgency in Nigeria.

Mr Lawan disclosed this in a statement on Monday when he paid a courtesy visit to the palace of Shehu of Borno, Abubakar El-Kanemi.

According to the lawmaker, the federal government and the Borno government will ensure the restoration of peace in the state and across the country.

Mr Lawan also pointed out that the surrender of the terrorists “is a good development for the security of this country.”

“I want to take this opportunity to mention that the federal government of Nigeria will continue to work with the Borno state government to ensure that there is a restoration of peace and stability,” said Mr Lawan. “The recent surrender by Boko Haram elements is a good development for the security of this country. “Those that have no issues to answer are sanitised and taken 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 further stated that the government should do everything possible to encourage the terrorists to surrender.

“I believe there is no need for any controversy over what we need to do with people who surrendered. In any war, in every war, surrender is the ultimate. 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 terms of development,” Mr Lawan said.

Mr El-Kanemi said Borno residents had suffered great distress in the hands of Boko Haram but added the terrorists surrendering to the government “is a welcome development” because “Borno is a home of peace, and we are for peace.”