The Senate Committee on Nigerian Army on Wednesday expressed strong opposition to the approach of the Federal Government in the fight against Boko Haram insurgency.
The committee also said $1.3 billion budget for the army was too poor for a country prosecuting war against terrorism.
The Chairman of the Committee, Alli Ndume (APC Borno South), spoke at a press conference attended by other members after the Army budget presentation by the Chief of Policy and Planning, Lt. Gen Lamidi Adeosun.
According to him, the Deradicalisation, Rehabilitation and Reintegration (DRR) of repentant Boko Haram members was emboldening the terrorists to carry out more attacks rather than ending the insurgency.
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Faulting the policy, Ndume stated that 75 mallams in his Borno community, who were above 60, were kidnapped and murdered by Boko Haram.
He said one of the repentant terrorism gave the information that led to the ambush in which an Army General was killed.
He said, “In my village, Mallams that are Muslims, not ordinary Muslims but Mallams, elders above 60, quote me, 75 of them were taken to an abattoir and slaughtered by Boko Haram. Can you imagine that the Nigerian army or the Nigerian government is saying that because these people have gone to repent, or they say they have their hands up, you bring them back and pamper them?
“If you give IDPs here, N150, 000 as a package as they give them (Boko Haram repentants), I have 10,000 of them here…. they are displaced, suffering. They know these people that killed their people, it is wrong.
“In addition to that, the recent attack in Damboa was carried out by a repentant giving information as to the movement of the army, the general that was killed was a victim.”
Ndume called on the Federal Government to prosecute terrorists caught and make them scapegoats.
He said, “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, rehabilitating and Reintegrating (Boko Haram repentants). I still maintain that. You can’t be resettling people, pampering them while the war is on.”
Ndume also criticised the manner in which money for the capital budget was released to the army, saying it was hampering the war against insecurity.
He said, “Worst of it, their capital, I mean money that is supposed to be given to them to buy the necessary equipment, arms and ammunition, secure kitting for the armed forces, only 64 per cent of that money was released.
“On top of that, 50 per cent was released in the first week of July. The second batch of it was released this week and Nigeria is at war. The whole of the Nigerian Army budget is $1.3 billion. That is at the level of Niger, Chad and Sudan and other poor countries.
“In a period of war where the country is borrowing and is planning to spend N13 trillion, the government is budgeting less than N30 billion as capital for the Nigerian army.”
The committee lamented that the insurgents appeared well funded than the Nigerian Army with the nature of weapons at their disposal.
“Some of the bandits have better AK-47. I think they have what they call AK-49, latest AK used by bandits and insurgents in the North East and North West.
“I want to use this opportunity to tell you the committee’s position that as a matter of urgency… the budget of the Nigerian army should be increased.
“Not only that, we are advocating they should be front rolled, that means if they sign the budget, you give them so that they can start their procurement process, unlike other procurement that you can buy here, buy there. Before you even finish the process, it takes a long time.”
Ndume assured of the committee’s readiness to work with the executive to increase the budget to the army.
