Governor Babagana Zulum of Borno said the state government is yet to account for the whereabouts of 560,000 citizens of the state, in wake of the 12-year old insurgency.
The missing number represents 10 per cent of Borno’s 5.6 million population as at 2016.
Zulum told State House correspondents after a closed door meeting with President Muhammadu Buhari that over 100,000 people also died due to the deadly activities of the insurgents.
The governor revealed that about 2,600 suspected Boko Haram insurgents who surrendered had been taken into custody by the security agencies in the state.
He, however, stated that not all of the suspects were criminals, assuring that all the surrendered insurgents would be properly profiled and the innocent ones among them would be immediately resettled.
“Right now, we have about 2, 600 in our custody but mind you, this number is inclusive of their children and their wives including their families. Among these people that have surrendered, some are innocent.
“We have started profiling them with the Nigerian Army and the Directorate of State Services (DSS), so that those that have not committed a heinous crime, especially the teenagers and women, then we can find an immediate way of resettling them back.
“Those that are deeply involved also we shall look into the possibility of training them so that at a later stage, the federal and the state government will decide to keep them so as to address the issue holistically.
“But the good news is that the Nigerian Army is providing enough support to us; we are getting enough cooperation from the Nigerian Army, DSS and the Nigerian Police and we thank God for the President.’’
According to the governor, the surrender of the insurgents is a very welcome development.
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