Boko Haram: Soldiers, Youth Volunteers speak on UN’s delisting of CJTF among groups listed for recruiting child soldiers in North-east Nigeria

Boko Haram: Soldiers, Youth Volunteers speak on UN’s delisting of CJTF among groups listed for recruiting child soldiers in North-east Nigeria

Soldiers fighting Boko Haram insurgency and working with Youth Volunteers aka members of the Civilian Joint Task Force popularly called CJTF in northeast Nigeria on Tuesday said they are happy with the reports that the United Nations had delisted the CJTF from armed group listed earlier in their reports over the recruitment of child soldiers in the ongoing conflicts.

The soldiers who spoke with NEWSng but pleaded not to be mentioned said they have enjoyed working with CJTF in the prosecution of the war against terrorists in northeast Nigeria.

“We were partly successful because of their involvement. They know the terrain and some of them were local hunters before they joined the ranks of the CJTF. They were fearless and fought gallantly. When they were listed as a group recruiting child soldiers we know that young boys have joined their ranks but subsequently and with understanding, they were released not to fight because of their age and the dangers involved. We were actually not happy with the UN listing the CJTF as an armed group recruiting child soldiers. However, with the news of the UN decision to delist CJTF from among the group recruiting children to fight war, we see it as a welcoming idea. They have indeed made a lot of sacrifices. As you know, many of them were also killed alongside our soldiers but they never gave up.

“The CJTF respects the Nigerian soldiers, they often take the risk to go for an errand as well as spy on some members of Boko Haram in some of the villages we are fighting along the Lake Chad region. They have supported the military as you know and we are often encouraged by their zeal in bringing this conflict to an end.

“Indeed, I must acknowledge the fact that in the past, there were many young boys among their ranks, but I think that is not happening again. I know that they have released over 3,000 boys considered to be too young for this kind of conflict but it was necessity that brought about that influence. We are happy that we are now supported by mature young and agile men. We often felt for those young boys then but we had no power to stop them,” One of the soldiers who spoke for the others said.

Also, Umar Shafideen who was a member of the CJTF sector 4 Maiduguri before he moved to Baga town supporting the Nigerian military in its Operations told NEWSng that he was happy to hear that the UN delisted the CJTF from among armed groups recruiting child soldiers in the northeast. According to him, several stories about his group in the past had demoralized a lot of its members.

“In fact, sometimes people who do not know allege that we are supporting Boko Haram. They said some of us are Boko Haram. But it is a good thing that we are being recognized and more revelations are coming out about our activities. About children helping us, I can say that was in the past. There are no more children fighting with us. We are all adults 20 years upwards. We have lost our men of over 50 in the last two years but that has not discouraged us because we want this fight to end in Maiduguri and Borno state and northeast Nigeria,” he said.

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NEWSng also spoke with Borno citizens about the news of the UN delisting CJTF as an armed group for recruiting child soldiers. Also Mohammed Idi, a civil servant who claimed to be a member of the civilian JTF at its inception made some revelation about the activities and what informed the rise of Youth Volunteers called CJTF today.

According to him, “At the time we formed the CJTF; it was “Kato da gora” (a Hausa word literally means the big guy with a stick). We do not consider who joins but our goal was to secure Maiduguri from Boko Haram who are killing our people. We did well until the government came in and made the group official. That was when some of us decided to leave, but we still encouraged them.

“Everybody living in Maiduguri is aware that there was accusation amongst the people alleging that Boko Haram was being supported by the Hausas. That was the understanding until the so-called Hausa boys took the sticks and started to confront members of the sect. The majority of the sect members arrested and killed and those that are still at large are indigenes of Borno state.

“They started it as their own thing to achieve whatever benefits therein until we all rise up to defend the city. It was when the people sees reasons in what we are doing that they back us and the government soon recognized the fact that, we are indeed out to bring peace in the state at a time when every citizen of Borno state is seen as Boko Haram by the military who are deployed to quench the crises”. He said.

Speaking on the UN decision, Mohammed said, “There is nothing as encouraging as the pronouncement of the UN on this group because the earlier position has started to make people doubt the credibility of the group and has also made some of them to get discouraged. I don’t think there are children fighting today in CJTF and like I said, in the past, it was necessary.”

The CJTF Spokesman, Barrister Gunda was not reachable for comments and to speak on the new development on and the decision of the UN on his group, the CJTF- who were earlier listed as armed group recruiting child soldiers in the fight against Boko Haram in North-east Nigeria.

Also several calls put and text messages sent to Brigadier General Onyema Nwachukwu, the Nigeria Army Director Public Relations Officer to speak on the UN current position on the CJTF did not yield result as he did not answer his calls nor reply to the message sent on his WhatsApp.

Boko Haram: Soldiers, Youth Volunteers speak on UN’s delisting of CJTF among groups listed for recruiting child soldiers in North-east Nigeria