By Rafiu Ajakaye
LAGOS
The Nigerian military is training local vigilantes to assist in the fight against the emboldened Boko Haram insurgent group in the country's restive northeastern region.
"The military has been giving us training on how to effectively combat the terrorists; this training normally lasts for about two weeks," Jubrin Gunda, a spokesman for the Joint Civilian Task Force (JCTF), told Anadolu Agency.
"It is an ongoing exercise," he said of the training.
Gunda said the training was being carried out under the auspices of the Borno Youth Empowerment Scheme (BOYES).
"A number of our members have been trained on security issues by the military – about three or four weeks of training. We call that scheme BOYES," he explained.
"We are being trained by the military to be able to withstand the insurgency," said the JCTF spokesman.
"The training is like collaboration between the state government and the military," he added. "But we are not armed."
Nigeria's defense headquarters did not responded to AA's enquiries about the training initiative.
The CJTF was officially unveiled early last year as a self-motivated group of young men determined to end Boko Haram's reign of terror.
They have been credited with chasing away militants from many areas of Borno State, especially provincial capital Maiduguri.
Adamu Buba, the man believed to have started the group, is the CJTF's supreme commander.
The group, which often carries out house-to-house searches looking for insurgent elements, has been commended for helping to restore relative calm in Maiduguri after militants were forced to flee the city into the bush.
Following claims of abuse, the Borno State government moved to regulate the CJTF's activities by establishing regulations for taking on members and training them.
The group currently has representation in many parts of the state.
It is not known how many members the group has across Nigeria's troubled northeastern region, although most are believed to have come from Maiduguri.
-Incorporation-
Gunda said he was not aware of any plan to integrate the vigilantes into the country's military.
"What I can say is that our members [of the CJTF] are being sensitized by the military. We are being taught ways to do our work," he added.
He said the vigilantes, who had appealed to the government for weapons, were willing to do anything to help, including being incorporated into the country's armed forces.
"Right from the inception, we are here to assist the security people discharge their duty," Gunda asserted.
"If the government feels it is appropriate to incorporate us into the security system, we are definitely willing to queue into the arrangement," he said.
"We had made that request earlier. If the government now feels that [that is] the best way to advance counterinsurgency measures, then that's fine with us," added Gunda.
Abubakar Shekau, Boko Haram's elusive leader, has repeatedly mentioned the vigilantes in the group's online videos, often warning them against helping the government's counter-insurgency efforts.
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