By NewsCritic Reporters
A university Don and security expert, architect Samuel Uchendu Uzoanya, PhD, has criticised the Nigerian Army authorities over the issue of repentant terrorists, describing it as a falsehood and misinformation because there is nothing like repentant terrorists in the global fight against terrorism.
Speaking to newsmen in Umuahia the Abia State capital on the worsening state of security in the country, Architect Samuel Uzoanya said that it is a misnomer for the federal government to allude to repentant terrorists after they (terrorists) have massacred scores of innocent Nigerians, devastated villages and killed military officers and security personnel in their war against the Nigerian state.
According to the university don who also served as Comptroller General of Abia State University Defense Camp, the issue of repentant terrorists should not be accepted by any serious government because a terrorist can’t be said to have repented alongside his wife and children as it is being witnessed in Nigeria today. He argued that if the Nigerian military is truly attacking them, there is no way they could be staying with families in war areas, adding that they are only staying in buffer and protected zones.
Speaking further, Architect Uzoanya, queried the rationale behind the policy of repentant terrorists describing it as unacceptable to majority of Nigerians because of its deceptive nature. Architect Uzoanya wondered how 100 terrorists would declare their repentance and only 10 Ak47 riffles were tendered, while demanding to know what happened to the remaining 90 riffles.
He was of the opinion that the so-called repentant terrorists are the ones coming to the south now to ambush and kidnap the people, saying that this is a very unfortunate situation. “So, these are the people now coming here with sophisticated weapons to lay ambush and kidnap because we see trucks of people trooping down to the South, he alleges”.
Architect Uzoanya maintained that it is instructive to note that till date the federal government of Nigeria has not pronounced the Boko Haram sect as terrorist organisation aside the court which designated them as terrorists, in spite of the fact that the government was in a hurry to name the IPOB group which is seeking for self-determination a terrorist group. “So, how come the federal government is treating the terrorists with respect and hounding the ethnic activists”?
Recently some commanders of the terrorists surrendered alongside 29 women and children which raised dust on the social media.
On the latest kidnapping incident at Isi Okata Ohuhu in Umuahia North LGA, he said there are some traditional and conventional security measures that should be adopted to nip the trend in the bud immediately, demanding that the traditional rulers in Ohuhu should come for a meeting to discuss the way out. He said that there is need for solar powered roving CCTV Cameras to be installed around the area so as not to allow the kidnappers gain grounds at Umuawa the gateway to Ohuhu land.
