Posted by Wisdom Nwedene
Malam Baba Modu, an 80 year-old father
to a Boko Haram commander, popularly called ‘Ba-Ana’, has begged his son
to surrender and embrace peace.
Speaking with journalists on
Wednesday in Maiduguri, Modu said that he was unable to persuade his son
to abandon the cause and surrender under the Federal Government’s
Operation Safe Corridor.
Recounting his ordeal, Modu said his son
was conscripted by the insurgents in 2012 at a farm in Dikwa Local
Government Area of Borno.
“I lost hope of meeting my son after
his abduction in the past seven years. One day, I met someone who told
me that my son was alive and mentioned where I can find him.
”I was also told he is one of the commanders of the Albarnawi faction of the Boko Haram.
“I
travelled to the shores of the Lake Chad to plead with Ba-Ana to
surrender and embrace peace. It took me about one week to get to where I
met him.
“When I arrived at the camp, I told them that I am the
father of Ba’ana and after series of interrogations, they asked me to
wait for him to return from a mission.
“Ba-Ana returned at night, he was marveled to see me, and when he heard my voice; he told his men that I am his father.
“I
pleaded with him for about 30 days in a bid to convince him to lay down
his arms and embrace peace, regrettably he did not heed my counsel.
“Ba-Ana
confessed that he killed many people and believed that the authorities
would not forgive his crimes. He also believed that he had committed his
life in the course of God.
“I did not lose hope; I will continue to pray God to heal his soul and bring him back to me,“ he said.
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