A suspected Al-Shabaab recruit has surrendered to police in Garissa in response to an extended government amnesty.
The
man, 22, voluntarily turned himself in at a border police station on
Tuesday evening after walking for several kilometres from Somalia,
acting Garissa County Commissioner James Kianda told journalists in his
office.
The acting commissioner said the defector
joined the militia in 2011 after dropping out of school in Class Six at a
school in Garissa.
The man, according to the official, said he made a daring escape from Somali.
“We
have interviewed him, and we are convinced that he is of sound mind. We
believe he is an Al-Shabaab defector. He told us that he is tired of
the group’s activities,” he said.
Mr Kianda, who was
flanked by the County Police Commander Shedrack Maithya and the county
director of criminal investigations Daniel Muleli said those who
surrender before the expiry of the amnesty would be treated in dignified
manner.
“I appeal to all youth who have joined the
group for one reason or the other to come out and either present
themselves to the nearest police station or security agency without fear
of prosecution or mistreatment,” he said.
Mr Kianda
said those who heed the government call would be protected from harm,
adding that they would be treated well and integrated back into society.
The
acting county commissioner said the former Al-Shabaab member revealed
that there are many youths in Kenya who give assistant to the militia to
carry out attacks in the country.
Mr Yakub urged
residents to help the government fight the group by revealing criminals
living in their midst to the security agencies.
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