He also wants the Nigerian Army to stop granting amnesty to repentant Boko Haram terrorists who have engaged in massive killing and wanton destruction of properties.
Ndume, who spoke with journalists on Wednesday, in Abuja, shorty after the closed door meeting with the Chief of Army Staff, General Tukur Buratai, for the defence of 2021 budget proposals, urged the federal government to emulate the United Arab Emirate which he said did a good job by jailing those sponsoring Boko Haram.
Recall that the UAE recently jailed six Nigerians for financing Boko Haram terrorists. It also revealed that the jailed Nigerians had two accomplices in Nigeria one of whom is a government official.
Ndume lamented that the pace of prosecuting the terrorists in Nigeria was too slow.
His words: “We are very grateful to the government of UAE and we are still appealing to our government to bring those directly or indirectly involved in Boko Haram activities to book immediately.
“We disagree with the idea of deradicalisation and reintegration of purported Boko Haram terrorists. The position of the executive is different. We still maintain that you can’t be pampering people while their victims are still suffering in IDP camps.
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“We are still calling on the Nigerian government that those that are directly or indirectly involved in Boko Haram activities should be brought to book and used as an example. I think we have not been up and doing on that.
“I am in disagreement with the government on the issue of deradicalising and reintegrating (Boko Haram repentants). I still maintain that you can’t be resettling people, pampering them while the war is on. The committee and I believe many Nigerians are on the same page on this.”
He recounted how a supposedly repentant Boko Haram member was fingered in the ambush that led to the death of the Commander of 25 Task Force Brigade in Damboa, Borno State, Col. D.C. Bako, in September this year.
For him, the magnitude of atrocities committed by the terrorists, does not qualify them for amnesty.
Ndume further went down memory lane to recall that in his village alone, 75 elderly Ulamas were murdered in one instance by the terrorists in 2015.
“They can be kept as prisoners of war. After that, you profile them and charge those that are supposed to be charged to court and those that are victims of Boko Haram that were forcibly conscripted should be released,’’ he said.
