Director of Defence Information, Maj.-Gen. Chris Olukolade
The authorities of the Defence Headquarters in Abuja have said that over 175 detained terror suspects are to regain freedom.
The Director of Defence Information,
Maj. Gen. Chris Olukolade, said in an electronic mail on Friday that the
military authorities are to release the suspects in line with a
Presidential order.
The Defence spokesman said that the
terror suspects were arrested in the three states of Borno, Yobe and
Adamawa which have been under emergency rule.
Olukolade said that the suspects were
earlier recommended for release by a Joint Investigation Team
constituted by the Defence Headquarters in 2013.
He said that 157 of the detainees would
be released from military facilities in Borno state, nine from Yobe
State and one from Adamawa State.
According to him, the suspects would be handed over to their respective state governments.
He said, “Over 165 persons apprehended
in the course of military operations on terror in three states in the
North-East are to be released from custody in compliance with
Presidential directive.
“The suspects are those earlier
recommended for release by the Joint Investigation Team set up by the
Defence Headquarters last year.
The Defence Spokesman explained that the
165 terror suspects are to be released because the categorisation made
by the panel of military investigators gave sufficient reasons for their
release.
He added that the recommendation of the
panel for the release of the suspects enjoyed the support of the higher
authorities involved in the review of the cases.
Olukolade explained that the current
batch of detainees was not released at the time the women and the
children were released because they were not arrested at the same time.
He stressed that the panel which visited
all the detention facilities and categorised all the detainees found
the suspects deserving of release.
Olukolade argued further that it was not
possible for all such detainees to be released at the same time as
people were still being arrested even as of Friday.
He said, “All of them were not arrested
the same day. Even as we talk, some are being arrested. It is when
somebody is classified; if his case is in need of further investigation
or he should be prosecuted or asked to go that his case is closed.
“The panel visited the detention facilities and categorized everybody and these ones were found worthy of being released.”
The 19-member Joint Investigation Panel
of the DHQ had recommended 500 suspected high profile members of the
sect who were arrested in the North East for immediate trial.
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