Over 100,000 killed, 2,600 surrender in Borno, says Zulum

Governor Babagana Zulum says more than 100,000 indigenes of Borno State have been killed in the 12-year old insurgency in the Northeast.

Governor Zulum said this Tuesday while fielding questions from State House reporters after a meeting with President Muhammadu Buhari at the Presidential Villa, Abuja

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The governor, who also disclosed that 2,600 insurgents had surrendered, added that the figure included children, wives, and their families as all of them were not criminals.

Zulum, who said young children among them had been trained to handle AK-47, gave an assurance that they would be subjected to the extant laws of the country and international conventions.

He explained that no law prescribes the killing of surrendered insurgents, saying that they would be trained for the purpose of reintegration.

He said among those that surrendered were innocent people who were forcefully conscripted to join the Boko Haram sect, while some are teenagers.

Zulum, who declared his total support for the ongoing surrender by the insurgents, said the Borno State government was not contemplating giving the repentant terrorists any dine for them to surrender.

The governor, who said that he had been attacked by the insurgents about 50 times, also promised to support the victims of the insurgents, including those whose parents had been killed.

Governor Zulum said the whereabouts of not less than ten percent of the indigene of the state was not known as a result of the insurgency.

The governor, who said he discussed the report of the surrender of Boko Haram insurgents with the President,  said he did not see any reason why those who surrendered should be rejected.

“The report of the surrender is a very welcome development. Unless we want to continue with an endless war, I see no reason we should reject those willing to surrender,” he said.