Over 4,000 Boko Haram fighters have deserted the extremist group, signalling a huge shrink in the rank of the terrorists, a report by the Institute for Security Studies (ISS) has said. According to the report, the deserters from the four Lake Chad Basin countries (Cameroon, Chad, Niger and Nigeria) are leaving for various reasons which include safety concerns. Boko Haram and other terror groups have terrorised the Lake Chad Basin countries for over 10 years. The unending terror war has displaced thousands of nationals of the four countries. The crisis has also crippled economic activities in the once booming fish market in the region. Thousands of people have been kidnapped by the terrorists and many killed. According to the 28-page report, while some of the insurgents joined willingly, others were conscripted or abducted and held captive in Boko Haram strongholds. The report said although accurate figures were difficult to find, their data suggests at least 2,400 desertions in Chad, 1,000 in Nigeria, 584 in Cameroon and 243 in Niger. “Motives for leaving Boko Haram include individual circumstances, safety concerns and the groups’ internal dynamics, among others. “On the individual level, some people disengage because their expectations – based on religious ideals or economic opportunities – have not been met. “For others, poor living conditions in the camps are a factor. The exposure to intensifying military offensives such as air strikes by Lake Chad Basin countries and the effective deployment of the Multinational Joint Task Force make the situation untenable,” the report partly read. It also said the terrorists also impose harsh restrictions on members, along with permanent surveillance and corporal punishment for those suspected or convicted of deviating from the groups’ rules. “These rules include ‘immorality’, stealing, drug abuse, etc. Within the group, the uneven application of rules fosters a sense of injustice. In some cases, the death penalty is applied. Inter-faction rivalries and violence have also caused people to leave.” It further revealed that the uncertainty surrounding the fate of people who leave Boko Haram discourages others from making the same decision. “The third problem is that communities aren’t centrally involved in reintegration processes even though they facilitate disengagement and are the first point of contact for ex-Boko Haram associates,” the report stated Part of what the report recommended was that desertions need to be effectively managed. “The way in which ex-Boko Haram associates are received and screened must be predictable and based on standard reception-screening-profiling mechanisms,” it said. “Regional standards and protocols along with enabling legislation should guide demobilisation in the four Lake Chad Basin countries.” “Specific policies on the role of women and children in violent extremism are also needed. To build societal resilience to groups like Boko Haram, community participation should be prioritised throughout the rehabilitation process, including design, implementation and evaluation.” “Through cooperation and sharing lessons, countries in the Lake Chad Basin region can develop national and regional strategies that work.” The ISS describes itself as a research-focussed African organisation committed to human security on the continent. Teniola Tayo, a researcher at the Lake Chad Basin Institute for Security Studies, while commenting on the report via sms, said the various countries concerned have welcomed the report. “Yes we had a closed dissemination webinar with stakeholders engaged in DDR in the four countries. They all welcomed the findings,” she said. She said her organisation will be exploring ways to follow up with the countries individually. When asked about the accuracy of their figures, another official of the organisation, Malik Samuel, stated that they (figures) were official. “The figures of deserters quoted in the report were obtained from government authorities in the region. For instance, the figures from Nigeria were obtained from Operation Safe Corridors,” he said. He said the major problem identified during the research was the difficulty of accurate figures of deserters because there were some who tried to leave the group and re-join the society without government intervention. “In these cases, you see that it is difficult to get the actual numbers of deserters,” he said.

Boko Haram terrorists reportedly attacked Geidam local government area of Yobe State on Friday, Channels Television can report. Geidam is the hometown of the acting Inspector General of Police, Mr. Usman Alkali Baba. According to sources, a military jet has been deployed to the town to dislodge the insurgents. Geidam previously came under attack on February 9, barely after newly appointed Chief of Army Staff, Ibrahim Attahiru visited troops. Information on the number of casualties involved in Friday’s attack was unavailable as of publication time, but residents told Channels Television there was tension in the town. Meanwhile, the terrorists circulated a pamphlet during the attack, urging residents to support their cause to establish a Muslim caliphate or be killed. Our correspondent obtained a copy of the one-page pamphlet, which reads in part: “Our major aim: to uplift the word of Allah, protect the religion of Islam and the wealth of the followers. “Our target: those who do not believe in our ideology, Christians and even Muslims who do not believe in our teachings. “Any Muslim who is not supporting the empire of Islam is our target. “Anyone who comes to us for forgiveness, and stop fighting us will be exempted from attacks.”

The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) said the statement by the Buhari Presidency, in which it shows a desperation to provide official cover to a terrorist apologist further confirms public and international apprehensions that the Buhari administration and the All Progressives Congress (APC) are patronising acts of terrorism in our country. Kola Ologbondiyan, PDP’s National Publicity Secretary said this in a statement on Friday. Recall that Shehu Garba had on Thursday said that the Buhari administration stand with Isa Pantami on his past views on terrorism Reacting to the presidency’s statement, Kola said Nigerians were traumatized that the Presidency could mount a hopeless defence and justification for the actions of the exposed Minister of Communication and Digital Economy, Isa Pantami, who had already confessed to supporting terrorist groups like al-Qaeda and Taliban. He said, “It is instructive to note that this anti-people has heightened public anxiety that the Buhari Presidency is a haven for traitors who are providing support to acts of terrorist activities in our nation. “Our party holds that this has further exposed why the Buhari Presidency has failed to decisively confront terrorism as well as why terrorists, bandits, kidnappers and insurgents are emboldened to ravage our nation and massacre our compatriots. “It is inexcusable that the Buhari Presidency is showing grave insensitivity to the fact that thousands of Nigerians have been massacred, maimed and horrified; that hundreds of communities have been devastated and that our nation has been under siege because of the actions and public comments by individuals like Isa Pantami. “Our party notes that if indeed, the Buhari Presidency has not found itself entangled, the least it ought to have done in the face of the allegations against Pantami was to reassure Nigerians by first relieving Isa Pantami of his office and hand him over to the appropriate agency for deradicalization. “The PDP asserts that it is pertinent to point out that Isa Pantami had initially denied his support to terrorist groups and only admitted after he was overwhelmed by evidence; thus rubbishing the laim claims by the Buhari Presidency that the minister had turned a new leaf 20 years ago. “The PDP holds that Isa Pantami belongs to the deradicalization centre and not in any way in the Federal Executive Council where he had been alleged of compromising our national security as evinced in his initial denials. “This is in addition to allegations in the public space that the exposed minister had been compromising our national data as well as the NIN registration exercise, wherein aliens and invaders from other countries were alleged to have been registered as our citizens. These are issues that our party insists must be investigated by the Department of State Services (DSS). “As a party, theg PDP charges President Muhammadu Buhari to reassure the citizens by immediately withdrawing the statement from his Presidency, relieve Isa Pantami of his position as minister and take a bold step to flush out terrorist apologists from the Presidency, “Kola concluded.