Boko Haram Terrorists, Suspects Will Be Prosecuted — FG

THE Federal Government has vowed to prosecute Boko Haram terrorists and anybody suspected to be engaged in acts of terrorism using the instruments of the law.

The National Security Adviser (NSA), Major-General Babagana Monguno (retd), stated this in Abuja, on Tuesday, at the technical consultations on considering and developing comprehensive approach to prosecuting, rehabilitating, and re-integrating former members of Boko Haram terrorists.

Monguno said Nigeria’s resolve to win the fight against terrorism through its core national values, which included respect for human rights as guaranteed by Chapter 4 of the 1999 Constitution and relevant international human rights conventions.

He stressed that “whereas violence do not respect human rights, and share no such values, we are committed to ensuring that every suspect charged with terrorism has a day in court.”

According to PRNigeria, Monguno stated that counter-terrorism measures were only effective when anchored within a rule of law and human rights framework, and “why we undertook a holistic approach to strengthening our criminal justice system to serve as our most formidable weapon against terrorism.”

Against this backdrop, he said Nigeria was partnering with European Union (EU), United Nations Office on Drug and Crime (UNODC), Counter-Terrorism Committee Executive Directorate (CTED) and other relevant agencies to find the best “approach to prosecuting, rehabilitating and re-integrating former members of Boko Haram.

“We are therefore, looking beyond the ongoing counter-insurgency campaigns in the North-East to the next phase where Violent Extremist Offenders (VEOs) who had either repented or had passed through the criminal justice process were rehabilitated and re-integrated back to the society,” he stated.

Also speaking, the representative of the EU delegation, Mr Richard Young, stated that “in tackling global terrorism, there were various views on its solutions, including those of the view that terrorists who surrender and are captured should be sent to prison, de-radicalised and be reintegrated back into the society, and those of the view that terrorists should be fully prosecuted and face the law, which he said was a difficult view”.

Advertise here