The Defence Headquarters (DHQ) has officially extended its surrender policy for non-state armed groups to the South-East, South-South and South-West, allowing gunmen in the regions to voluntarily lay down their arms without any deadline.
The Director of Defence Media Operations, Major General Michael Onoja, The PUNCH reports, announced the development on Monday in Abuja while responding to questions on the recent surrender of some militants to troops of Operation Udo Ka in the South-East.
According to Onoja, the Armed Forces of Nigeria will receive any armed group members who choose to surrender in line with international humanitarian law and the Geneva Conventions before handing them over to the appropriate legal authorities for further action.
“They are welcome to surrender,” the defence spokesman said, adding that there is no deadline for those willing to embrace peace.
He, however, said that while the window for surrender remains open indefinitely, the military has intensified its offensive operations against criminal elements across the country.
The expanded policy, the paper continues, follows recent successes recorded by troops of Operation Udo Ka in the South-East, where sustained military operations reportedly forced members of a militant group to voluntarily surrender their weapons.
The Nigerian Army disclosed that troops of the 82 Division/Joint Task Force South-East recovered an AK-47 rifle, two AK-47 magazines, 54 rounds of 7.62mm special ammunition and four locally fabricated firearms after one of the suspects led soldiers to the group’s armoury.
In a separate intelligence-led operation, troops also recovered two General Purpose Machine Guns, 45 rounds of 7.62mm ammunition and an improvised explosive device.
The military described the voluntary surrender as evidence that sustained offensives, strategic engagements and collaboration with other security agencies are weakening criminal networks and encouraging fighters to abandon violence.
The South-East has experienced persistent attacks on security personnel, government facilities and civilians in recent years, prompting the military to launch Operation Udo Ka to restore peace and dismantle armed criminal groups across the region.
Until now, the military’s surrender programme had been largely restricted to Boko Haram and Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP) fighters in the North-East, as well as bandits operating in parts of the North-West and North-Central.
The latest announcement marks a significant expansion of the policy, making it applicable to armed groups operating in the South-East and other southern regions.
Tags: DHQ, South-East, Operation Udo Ka, Nigerian Army, Gunmen, Military, Security
