By Beauty John, LAFIA
Kogi state governor Yahaya Bello said that he will never negotiate with terrorists, adding that they must not be pardoned and should be treated as the terrorists that they are.
The governor made this assertion on Monday, during the handing over of 778 women and children of Boko Haram members in 4 special forces command Doma, Nasarawa state.
Represented by his Senior Special Adviser on Security, Doru Jerry, Bello said that the target of the terrorists is to have a strong hold in the north central, through what is witnessed in recent times, especially in kidnapping, killing and maiming innocent citizens of Nigeria.
“I wonder why we still refer to them as bandits, as far as we are concerned, in Kogi, we have long tagged them terrorists and they remain terrorists.
“His excellency, Alhaji Yahaya Bello has asked me restate here this afternoon that as far as he is concerned, he will not, and he will never negotiate with criminals, he will not and he will never negotiate with terrorists.
“We must clear all criminals, we must not condone, we must not negotiate, there must not be pardon for terrorists, we must go all out to make sure we subdue them,” he said.
Yahaya Bello called on the armed forces and other security agencies to ensure that they go after the fleeing terrorists and fish them out of their hiding places.
In another development, the Commander, 4 special forces command Doma, Major General Moundhey Gadzama Ali while handing over the 778 women and children of dislodged Boko-Haram members to their various states governments revealed how Boko Haram came to Nasarawa state and took over “ Darul-Salam”, a small operational terrorist sect and turned it into a sophisticated and well organized terrorist group.
According to the commander, from the intelligence they gathered, it was revealed that a notorious terrorist from the Boko Haram camp in Borno state who goes by the name Sadiqu, believed to be a lieutenant of Abubakar Shekau was sent to Nasarawa state, seven months ago to take over the camp in Uttu, Toto local government area, and on reaching Uttu, it became eminent that for him to take over, he has to exact himself.
“That led to the execution of Darul Salam that was there and his deputy.
“And thereafter, he took charge of the camp as the Boko-haram leader and started teaching the tenets of Boko-Haram,” he revealed.
After five days of exchange of gun fire between the military and the Boko Haram terrorists, Sadiqu and some of his comrades fled for their lives, leaving their wives and children at the mercy of the military while some of their comrades died in the operation.
”Our gallant men are tracking escaped terrorist leaders like Sadiqu, Babuji, Yellow and Buji.
“Am pleased to inform this August gathering that, the drag net is coming closer and closer by the day , while the tracking signal is getting stronger by the second,” he said.
He commended the locals for the intelligence they provided and their cooperation with the military to rid their communities of criminal elements.
“The people of the region hold the credit for the success of Operation NUT CRACKER as they provided all actionable intelligence, the resultant of which we are witnessing today,” he stated.
Ali also commended operation WHIRL STROKE, Nigerian Navy Ship Lugard (NNS), the Nigerian Air Force and Command Army Records, Guards Brigade, the Nigerian Police Force and the Department of State Service for the team work and their contribution that led to the success of the operation.
PROMPT NEWS notes that although the 223 women and 555 children were drawn from 16 states and the federal capital territory, only Nasarawa, Niger and Kogi states were present to claim their people, leaving 13 states and the federal capital territory absent at the handing over.
