The federal government has come out to explain why it recently released 101 ‘Boko Haram’ suspects held at the Kirikiri maximum and minimum prisons in Lagos, as per reports obtained by bellnewsonline.com.
The government explained that the release of the prisoners had nothing to do with the recent release of the Kaduna-Abuja train victims, contrary to many claims circulating in various media.
But it was discovered that many of them were arrested 13 years ago on the onset of the Boko Haram insurgency on the streets of Bauchi, Maiduguri and Kano without any prove that they were actually members of the dreaded sect.
While some were members of the group who waited 13 years for a crime that they were supposed to be charged for 4 years.
The Chief of Defense Staff, General Lucky Irabor shed more light on the release of the suspects while answering questions from journalists after the National Security Council (NSC) meeting that was conveyed by President Muhammadu Buhari yesterday in Abuja.
While answering the questions, the defense chief said, “… Perhaps may be at this point, what I may need to add is the fact that Council was also briefed that 101 ex-combatants were taken to Operation Safe Corridor (in Gombe) and currently undergoing the process of de-radicalization at the centre.
“These were ex-combatants that have been in detention for several years, some of whom have served their terms. Others were those that were awaiting trial, but because of the long time that they have been involved and in line with the protocol or the procedure for handling anyone who has been exposed to terrorism or related offenses, the procedure for them to be taken through a process of de-radicalization.”
It would be recalled that several reports emerged, most especially, on social media that the released prisoners were part of an exchange between the abducted Kaduna-Abuja train victims and detained members of the terrorist group.