A member of the Boko Haram terrorist group has surrendered to troops of the 26 Task Force Brigade under the Joint Task Force (JTF) Operation Hadin Kai in Gwoza Local Government Area of Borno State.
He also revealed that many other members of the insurgents want to surrender, but they are scared that they will be killed.
Nonetheless, the surrendered fighter urged fellow insurgents to abandon their acts of terrorism and embrace peace.
Security analyst Zagazola Makama disclosed the details of the Boko Haram surrender in a post on his official X handle on Sunday, March 2.
According to his post, the fighter, previously under the command of the notorious Boko Haram leader Ali Ngulde in the Mandara Mountains, turned himself in at around 11:30 a.m. on March 1.
He surrendered to soldiers carrying out picketing duties along the Gwoza-Limankara Road.
As part of his surrender, he handed over an AK-47 rifle along with a magazine loaded with seven rounds of 7.62mm special ammunition.
The former insurgent cited several reasons for his defection, including intensified military offensives, mistreatment by Boko Haram leaders, internal conflicts within the group, and severe food shortages due to disrupted supply routes.
“Many of our people want to lay down their arms, but they fear that they will be killed by both our leaders and the Nigerian military,” he disclosed.
Expressing relief after surrendering, he added, “I never thought it would be this easy to lay down my gun and come out.
“I am sure when they see this, they will start running out from the bushes to surrender.”
He encouraged those still hiding in the Mandara Mountains to abandon terrorism and seek reconciliation.
The report further stated that the Nigerian military has taken the surrendered insurgent into custody for profiling and further necessary actions.