The Nigerian government has disclosed why surrendered Boko Haram members cannot be killed.
Lai Mohammed, the Minister of Information and Culture said granting amnesty was the best thing to do.
Mohammed explained that prosecuting and killing repentant insurgents was against global best practices.
He spoke in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Friday in Washington.
According to Mohammed: "I personally spoke to the military authority before I left Nigeria and they said what they were doing is what the global practice dictates about soldiers that surrendered that should be treated as prisoners of war.
"You cannot just shoot them because there are international conventions that give rights also to prisoners of war
"What the military is doing is that, when they surrender, they profile them to ensure that they are genuine and reintegrate them into the society."
Several Boko Haram members recently surrendered to the military in the Northeast.
About 1,000 Boko Haram fighters surrendered to army units in the southern Borno towns of Konduga, Bama, and Mafa.
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