By Senator Iroegbu in Abuja
The National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) has presented food and non-food items to the military for Operation Safe Corridor programme meant to de-radicalize, rehabilitate and re-integrate 800 repented and surrendered Boko Haram insurgents to fast-track the peace process in the North-east.
The Director of Media and Public Relations, NEMA, Mr. Sani Datti, said in a statement on Tuesday, that the items were presented in Gombe by the Director General of the Agency, Muhammad Sani Sidi.
He quoted Sidi to have said: “The initiative, which is in line with international best practices allowed those engaged in the fighting to voluntarily surrender and embrace peace so that they undergo rehabilitation.
“NEMA will play its role in the programme by providing regular support of food and non-food items for their up keep.”
Datti listed the items to be released for this purpose every three months as 410 bags of rice, 400 bags of beans, 200 bags of millet, 200 bags of sorghum, 750 cartons of spaghetti, 50 cartons of Maggi cubes and 810 cartons of tomato paste.
“Others are 101 vegetable oil in 20 litre kegs, 101 palm oil in 20 litre kegs, 50 bags of salt, 100 bags of sugar, 420 cartons of milk and 420 cartons of Milo chocolate,” he added.
He also listed the non-food items as 800 pieces of mattress, 500 pieces of blanket, 500 pieces of nylon mats, 1,000 plastic buckets, 1,000 plastic spoons, 1,000 plastic cups 1,000, plastics plates, 1000 plastic pairs of slippers, 2,000 men’s wear, 63 cartons of bath soap and 1,000 bath towels.
Datti said that the Coordinator of Operation Safe Corridor, Brigadier-General BM Shafa, while receiving the items, said the initiative was designed to de-radicalize, rehabilitate and re-integrate willing and repented Boko Haram insurgents who have come out to surrender to the military and believing that it would quicken the peace process in the North east.
More to follow
