Vice President Yemi Osinbajo has assured repentant Boko Haram insurgents of federal government’s support with a legitimate means of income to start a new life, Daily Trust reports.
The surrendered insurgents gave a rousing welcome to Osinbajo when he visited them at the Hajj Camp in Maiduguri Thursday during his working visit to the state to launch the MSME Clinic and inaugurate various projects executed by the Borno State government.
“I am the chairman of the Presidential Committee and His Excellency Governor Umara Zulum is the vice chairman of the committee.
“We will be working with you and the state government and other donor agencies and friends to ensure that we are able to provide you with a means of not just income but a place where you can settle down with your families and do your own work and do your own business.
“But you must work patiently with us. God bless you, God bless you and you will be well. We will make sure that we take care of you the best way we can by God grace. “
Earlier at the palace of the Shehu of Borno, Alhaji Abubakar Ibn Umar Garbai El-Kanemi, when he accompanied the vice president, Zulum had appealed to the federal government to support the state government’s efforts of resettling the Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) back to their ancestral homes.
He also emphasised the need for proper handling of the surrendered insurgents, saying “if we manage defectors of Boko Haram very well, the insurgency will come to an end very soon.”
“We have about 66,000 indigenes that are living in Republic of Cameroon, 120,000 people in the Republic of Niger and about 25,000 living in Republic of Chad. This is enough figure the state government alone cannot shoulder the responsibilities, and our people are yearning to come back home,” the governor added.