A former Boko Haram top Commander, Adamu Rugurugu, has called on his former fellow terrorists still in the various forests in Borno State and the Lake Chad region to lay down their arms and surrender for peace to reign.
Rugurugu, in a 1-hour, 54-second-long video message circulating on social media, which was obtained by LEADERSHIP, assured the Boko Haram and ISWAP terrorists that they will not be harmed should they surrender and come out from the forests, saying that he has been enjoying a peaceful life himself since accepting the amnesty offer of the Nigerian government.
LEADERSHIP reports that Adamu Rugurugu is a repentant Boko Haram terrorist, who had risen to the rank of War Commander, a Counsellor and Adviser for Boko Haram leaders. He spent 10 years fighting for the Boko Haram sect. He was among the first set of people to accept the amnesty offer by the government, a development that has brought back relative peace in the North-East.
Rugurugu in the video message to the Boko Haram/ISWAP terrorists said: "I am the man popularly referred to as Malam Adamu Rugurugu. I want to call on those of you (Boko Haram/ISWAP) that are still hibernating in the forests. We have been sending messages to you to come back. As I am talking to you, I have spent more than two years now and nothing has happened to me except living in peace and everyone has attested to that.
"I want to warn you those who are still in the forests, I know most of you know me. So what are you still doing? You should come out.
Sign up for free AllAfrica Newsletters
Get the latest in African news delivered straight to your inbox
"ISWAP that is telling you that they are with you. They came and met us in Sambisa and told us that they will not touch us and that we should practice the same religion.
"So if it is something that has to do with religion, then why are you killing yourselves? You are no longer going out to fight wars in other places, you are now waging wars against yourselves. If what you are doing is true, then why are you now killing those people that you claimed were part of you. Is this not pure hypocrisy?
"Now everybody has understood that this thing (Boko Haram) is not about religion. Leave whatever that you are doing, either you are ISWAP or Boko Haram or whatever you are, come back and join us to live in peace under the safe roof. Come back and reunite with your parents and live in peace.
"This is the most important thing to do now. You are now fighting between yourselves. All the killings that is currently going on now is only targeted at big fighters, militant businessmen not to talk of the fact that you will become a target when you have money and you are doing business in Sambisa and have invested in livestock business, you will not spend more than two weeks before you will get killed.
"So this shows that they are only after your wealth to dispossess you of it before killing you. This is the type of killing that is currently taking place. If they say this is a Commander, who possess some qualities or education, they will just go and kill him.
"All these killings that you are doing against each other has nothing to do with religion. Even in the beginning, the purpose of the organisation was not built under a foundation of truth. Therefore, you should come out (to surrender) so that we can all live peacefully. The government has accepted us and the people living in the communities have accepted that we can live in peace."
