The Arewa Consultative Forum (ACF) has insisted that Boko Haram members who have repented or surrendered must face trial.
The forum stressed that if Boko Haram members will be set free then it behoves on the government to free all those who are in custody in any part of the country for one crime or the other.
This was made known in a statement issued in Kaduna on Tuesday by the National Chairman of the forum, Audu Ogbeh.
ACF recalled that the insurgents were one-time bomb makers, commanders, arsonists, rapists and children snatchers.
According to him, “do we have any reason to cheer up and believe that the war is over, asking if saying ‘I am sorry’ is enough to bring relief to thousands of Nigerians or even those killed?”
The statement noted: “We are currently witnessing large scale surrender of large numbers of Boko Haram insurgents, among whom are bomb makers, commanders, arsonists, rapists, and child snatchers. Do we have good reason to cheer and hope for an end to this decade-old insanity?
“Is ‘I am sorry’ enough to bring relief to Nigerians and the thousands of dead and maimed? What of those victims bombed in the churches, mosques, schools, and markets?
“What of all the men and women in uniform murdered by them? Who can count the thousands of widows and orphans they have created?
“And what is the difference between them and the Ighoho’s or ESN of Nigeria? None.
“So what do we do with them? Should we just embrace them and trust them wholesale? Are their moves informed by altruistic repentance? We seriously doubt it.
“We join the Governor of Borno, the Shehu of Borno, Senator Ndume and millions of Nigerians in pondering over this development and our simple advice is: Bring them to trial, or free all others presently in custody anywhere, while we Nigerians plead guilty of naivety and gullibility in the extreme, punishable by more insurrection and anarchy.”
