A total of 103 former members of the youth vigilante force, who supported the military to fight Boko Haram in Borno State, have been recruited into the Nigerian army.

The former members of the vigilante force, popularly known as Civilian-JTF, were on Monday evening, showered with gift items, including plots of land and cash, by the Borno government.

The 103 recruits are the latest in a series of batches that have so far been absorbed into the Nigeria army and other security agencies.

So far, over 400 former members of the Civilian-JTF who have been enlisted into the army through the help of the Borno State government.

The fresh recruits, who returned home on completion of their training at the Nigerian Army Training Depot, were at the Government House, Maiduguri, on Monday to show appreciation.

The soldiers thanked the government and people of Borno State for giving them the rare opportunity to serve their country.

Introducing the new soldiers to the Borno State governor, the state attorney general and commissioner for Justice, Kaka-Shehu Lawan, said the former Civilian-JTF personnel were given all the necessary training required of them to become full-fledged soldiers.

He said following the recent announcement of the last recruitment process by the Nigeria army, the state government encouraged all interested members of the Civilian-JTF interested in it, to put in their application.
“We, as a government, helped them to purchase the forms and facilitated all the process of their going to the Depot,” he explained.

“Today, they have passed their Depot training and are now bonafide soldiers of the Nigerian Army.”

The attorney general, whose office coordinates the affairs of the Civilian-JTF under the Borno State Youth Empowerment Scheme, said the 103 soldiers drawn from the Civilian-JTF, were recruited based on merit.

Source:- Premiumtimesng