Olawale Ajimotokan in Abuja
The Presidential Committee on the Special Detainees connected with the Boko Haram insurgency that ravaged the North-east has submitted its report to the federal government.
The report was handed over to the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Boss Mustapha on Tuesday.
A statement issued wednesday by the Director of Information, Office of the (SGF), Lawrence Ojabo , said the report, spawning five chapters and 47 pages, contained detailed information on the detainees’ profiles and categorisation.
The committee, headed by General Abdullahi Bagudu Mamman, was inaugurated in December 2016 by the Minister of Interior, Lt General Abdulrahaman Danbazzau (rtd), with the mandate to profile and categorise the Boko Haram suspects, detained in the various prisons across the country.
Their mandate was also to consider the welfare of the detainees.
Mustapha, who was represented by the Permanent Secretary, General Services Office, OSGF, Olusegun Adeyemi Adekunle, lauded the committee for the painstaking efforts in carrying out the task.
He commended the minister of interior for initiating the committee and to also look into the welfare of the unfortunate citizens.
The SGF acknowledged the urgency expressed by the chairman of the committee on the aspects of international relations, inadequate infrastructures, and human rights of the detainees.
He said the report would be forwarded swiftly to President Muhammadu Buhari for consideration, assuring that it would be given expeditious attention with the view to implementing all the recommendations.
Similarly, Mustapha reiterated the commitment of the administration to bring under control all security challenges in different parts of the country.
Mamman said the committee profiled 6,512 detainees including toddlers who accompanied their mothers into detention.
He noted that some detainees had spent up to nine years in prison awaiting trial. He appealed for justice for suspects who might be innocent.
He commended President Buhari for taking the plight of Nigerians seriously. He also thanked the government for giving them the task, saying they would offer themselves in the future for similar assignment.
