FG will Not Prosecute Surrendered Boko Haram Insurgents

Boko Haram terrorists who had surrendered themselves would be reintegrated into society, the government said Thursday.

The government had put in place a number of strategies to ensure that insurgents that were turning themselves in undergo a process of de-radicalization and rehabilitation, while those refusing to give up arms would face the law, said Mike Omeri, coordinator of Nigeria's National Information Center.

The killing of Boko Haram's leader, Abubakar Shekau, had dealt a heavy blow to his followers, and most of the terrorists are fleeing, Omeri told reporters in the capital city of Abuja.

He added that the killing had boosted the morale of government troops and they had found the effective strategy against the terrorists.

Analysts say this development further confirms the recent progress in Nigeria's counter-terrorism approach in ending years of insurgency by Boko Haram, a major security threat in the West African country.

On Sunday, the Nigerian Defense Headquarters confirmed that some Boko Haram fighters had begun to surrender voluntarily. Some 148 terrorists had given up their arms.

At least 13 insurgents were killed Friday in an exchange of fire with Nigerian forces after a local market was attacked in the same northeastern state.