The Nigerian Army says it has cleared a total of 1009 suspects released after a rigorous process of investigation on Wednesday 14 July, 2021 and not ex fighters as falsely carried in a report.
A statement by the Director Army Public Relations Brigadier General Onyeam Nwachukwu, said the cleared and released suspects were not ex Boko Haram fighters, as peddled in the an online report making rounds.
It statement further said; ”the handing over of the cleared suspects was not shrouded in secrecy but was witnessed by United Nations Humanitarian and government agencies, in tandem with global best practice.”
The Army said it was notified of the media publication alleging that it has handed over 1009 Ex-Boko Haram fighters to Borno State government. The report also alleged that the event was shrouded in secrecy.
”The ongoing Counter Terrorism Counter Insurgency Operations (CTCOIN) in the North East has led to the arrest of several terrorism/insurgency suspects. These suspects have been held in custody, while undergoing profiling and further investigations by experts from the Joint Investigation Centre (JIC) and those who are found culpable are usually handed over to prosecuting agencies accordingly, while those who are not implicated in terrorism and insurgency are cleared and released to the state government for rehabilitation before they are reintegrated into the society,” It explained.
The Army therefore urged the general public to discountenance the misinformation.