The Federal Government of Nigeria has presented food and non-food items to the military for onward distribution to 800 repented Boko Haram terrorists.
The government had instituted a Programme tagged: “Operation Safe Corridor” to de-radicalize, rehabilitate and re-integrate repentant terrorists as part of measures to fast track peace process in the North east.
The spokesman of National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA), Sani Datti, said in a statement on Tuesday that the items were presented to the military by the Agency’s Director General, Muhammad Sani Sidi in Gombe.
He quoted the NEMA boss as saying that “The initiative, which is in line with international best practices allowed those engaged in the fighting to voluntarily surrender and embrace peace so that they undergo rehabilitation’’.
He said NEMA would play its role in the programme by providing regular support of food and non-food items for the repentant terrorists’ up keep.
According to Datti, 410 bags of rice, 400 bags of beans, 200 bags of millet, 200 bags of sorghum, 750 cartons of spaghetti, 50 cartons of Maggi cubes and 810 cartons tomato paste are some of the items to be released by the federal government every three months.
Others are; 101 Vegetable oil in 20 liter kegs, 101 palm oil in 20 liter kegs, 50 bags of salt, 100 bags of sugar, 420 cartons of milk and 420 cartons of milo chocolate, he added.
The NEMA spokesman said: “The non food items include; 800 pieces of mattress, 500 hundred pieces of blanket, 500 pieces of nylon mats, 1000 plastic buckets, 1000 plastic spoons, 1000 plastic cups 1000, plastics plates, 1000 plastic pairs of slippers, 2000 men’s wear, 63 cartons of bath soap and 1000 bath towels.”
Datti also quoted the Coordinator of Operation Safe Corridor, Brigadier- General BM Shafa as saying that: “Between September last year and February this year, a good number of Boko haram have come out to surrender.”
At least, 11 agencies of tfor Federal Government are directly involved in the Operation Safe Corridor programme.
