Daniel Bwala, Special Adviser to President Bola Tinubu on Policy Communication, has revealed that Boko Haram replenishes its ranks by abducting children from rural communities whenever the terrorist group suffers heavy losses.
Speaking on Channels Television’s Politics Today on Wednesday, Bwala said the insurgents resort to kidnapping children from villages and forcing them into their ranks against their will.
According to him, many of the children eventually escape from the terrorists’ camps and surrender to the Nigerian government, where they are treated as repentant individuals rather than combatants.
“When Boko Haram starts to lose their members, they go to villages, carry children and take them to the bush and recruit them. These are people recruited against their will,” Bwala said.
He explained that Nigeria’s approach to handling such individuals is guided by international humanitarian principles and the United Nations conventions governing armed conflicts.
Bwala, however, acknowledged growing concerns among Nigerians over reports that some former insurgents have returned to terrorist activities after undergoing rehabilitation.
He recalled that the Governor of Borno State had previously suggested that some renewed attacks in the region could be linked to ex-fighters who rejoined insurgent groups.
According to the presidential aide, such incidents are unfortunate but remain a reality in conflict situations.
“In warfare and conflicts, these things are possibilities. Even within established state institutions and foreign intelligence agencies, there have been cases of defections. These are realities of conflict,” he said.
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