Former Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives, Ahmed Idris Wase, has revealed a disturbing fact that Boko Haram members were found on the Nigerian Army recruitment list. This discovery highlights significant flaws in Nigeria’s recruitment processes, allowing individuals with criminal backgrounds to infiltrate sensitive security institutions.
Wase emphasized that this infiltration is a major reason Nigeria continues to struggle against insurgency, despite years of military efforts. He urged politicians to stop recommending individuals with questionable backgrounds into security agencies, stressing that having criminals in the system hinders efforts to resolve the security crisis.
The situation is dire, with kidnapping becoming routine and approximately N5 billion paid in ransom in a single year. Over 30,000 lives have been lost in Boko Haram-related attacks, and Wase himself lost a brother and cousin to terrorists.
Lawmakers are calling for a holistic approach to address the crisis, emphasizing the need for urgent, coordinated action. The Nigerian government has been working to tackle the Boko Haram insurgency, but these revelations underscore the challenges faced by authorities.
The Nigerian Army has denied recruiting repentant Boko Haram members, stating that only members of the Civilian Joint Task Force (CJTF) who distinguished themselves in the fight against terrorism were considered for recruitment.
