Ahmad Salkida, a journalist known to have access to Boko Haram leadership, says the statement made by the member of the Presidential Committee on the North East Initiative, PCNI, Sidi Ali Mohammed that Boko Haram fighters were being paid $3,000 daily as allowance compared to Nigerian troops N1,000 daily is “preposterous.”
Naija News had reported earlier that Mohammed made this comment while speaking at the Presentation of the International Monetary Fund, IMF, Sub-Sahara Africa’s Economic Outlook Report, in Abuja, Nigeria’s capital on Monday, April 29, 2019.
“I will give you an example. The Nigerian military, for example, gets N1, 000 per day for being in the North East, at the war front, as an allowance.
“The same North East, where if you are a member of Boko Haram you get $3,000 per day as allowance. So it is lucrative.
“Sometimes they even give you money upfront. So we must do something about the youths from where they are recruiting.
“If it is amnesty that will guarantee that peace, then we have to think of it.
“Most importantly, we need to deplete the army of youths on the streets and take them away from the streets so that Boko Haram does not recruit them,” he had said.
Reacting, Salkida said there are at least 6,000 fighters spread across the two main factions in the Lake Chad, noting that 95% of the fighters have never seen $3,000 in their lifetime.
The investigative journalist added that the fighters only receive crumbs from fai’u as an incentive and the “promise of paradise.”
His words: “This statement by Dr Sidi is preposterous, where will the fighters get $3000 daily? There are at least 6000 fighters spread across the two main factions in the #LakeChad, 95% have never seen $3000 in their lifetime. The only incentive is crumbs from fai’u and the promise of paradise.”
