Police React to Allegations of Recruiting Repentant Terrorists

The Nigeria Police Force (NPF) has dismissed reports suggesting it intends to enlist former terrorists who have renounced their activities.

The Deputy Inspector General of Police in charge of the North Central Zone, DIG Isyaku Mohammed, made the clarification during a stakeholders meeting with officers and men of the Kwara state Police command, traditional institution, religious heads, transport unions, among others, in Ilorin, the state capital.

The police boss, who urged community heads, religious leaders, and security chiefs not to append their signatures on recommendation letters for people with questionable characters, urged the leaders to identify and expose criminals so that they are not allowed into the system.

According to him, leaders who sign recommendation forms for such persons will bear the consequences alongside their communities when such people find their way into the system

“Traditional rulers and DPOs do sign for those people. And I don’t think they’ll recommend anybody who has been engaged in criminality in the name of “I’ve repented”.

“I was privileged to serve in the North East. The military, in its own wisdom, accepted deradicalised Boko Haram members, reoriented them, and sent them back into society.

“There’s a town hall meeting that I attended. When I was DC operation in Yobe. They came to sensitise the community and told the people to accept the deradicalized people because they’ve repented. But all members of the community rejected them. They said they should take them to another community where they don’t know them.

“They said, I cannot see somebody who killed my parents, coming back with empowerment, while my parents, whose businesses he destroyed, are still there without assistance. So, it becomes a subject of discussion. But this is a federal government decision, and the police cannot do anything about it.

“The only thing we can do is to protect our own territory and ensure that such repentant people do not find their way into the Nigeria Police. And we are doing everything possible to ensure that not just repented criminals, but also bad boys, we don’t allow them to find their way into the Nigeria police.

“So, you, our stakeholders, community heads, etc, don’t sign for them, identify them, or expose them. We will not allow them into the system. And if you do, after training, we’re sending them back to you to come and police your places. So, you take the consequences.”

His clarification comes amidst reports that at least 40 “repentant” Boko Haram insurgents have reportedly been shortlisted for the Nigerian Army’s 91st Regular Recruits Intake (RRI 91).

The DIG said that a joint border patrol would be inaugurated to check crimes and criminality in Kwara state, as a border state.

“Kwara state borders states like Ekiti, Oyo, Kogi, Niger, and Benin Republic. So, the joint border patrol would be done across its border corridors to prevent criminality and criminals.”

He said that the IGP had directed all the DIGs to go round states within their zones and interact with stakeholders to get on-the-spot assessment, and proffer solutions to the security situation as well as challenges of the police command and its officers.

He emphasized that community policing is a security strategy in combating the current security challenges in the country.