789 Repentant Terrorists Undergoing Rehabilitation — CDS

The Chief of Defence Staff (CDS), General Christopher Musa has disclosed that a total of 789 ex-terrorist combatants including foreigners are undergoing de-radicalisation, rehabilitation, and reintegration (DRR) programme under the Operation Safe Corridor (OPSC) initiative.

General Musa, who was represented by the Chief of Defence Policy and Plans, AVM Sayo Olatunde, made this known at the OPSC Stakeholders’ meeting on Tuesday, in Abuja.

He said the initiative has led to over 120,000 insurgents and their families members surrendering since the inception of the programme.

The Defence Chief said the programme was initiated due to the mass surrender of members of the Boko Haram and Islamic State of West African Province (ISWAP), induced by well-coordinated operations by all stakeholders.

He said that the 789 ex-combatants were expected to graduate within the year.

Musa added that the meeting, centered on coming up with modalities to ensure the proper reintegration of the first of two batches consisting of 391 clients into their states.

The CDS said the meeting would also provide a critical platform to reflect on the collective effort concerning the de-radicalisation initiative, while assessing their progress and strategising against anticipated challenges.

“I must state that your relentless efforts and commitment to ensuring national security are highly appreciated. The successes recorded so far are a testament to your resilience and commitment to duty.

“Despite the successes, we must remember that there is a lot more to be done hence the importance of this stakeholder meeting.

“Consequently, we currently have a total of 789 ex-combatants undergoing a de-radicalisation, rehabilitation, and reintegration program under the initiative who are expected to graduate this year.

“Today’s meeting, therefore, centered on coming up with modalities to ensure the proper reintegration of the first of two batches consisting of 391 clients into their states,” he said.

Musa urged benefiting state governments to facilitate the seamless reintegration of the ex-combatants by providing additional support to ease the transition process.

He expressed optimism that working closely with local and traditional authorities would help states to deploy security apparatus at their disposal to effectively track and monitor the progress of the reintegrated ex-combatants.

“I must emphasise that all stakeholders must be actively involved in this reintegration process to foster resiliency. Do not also forget the importance of this meeting ensuring lasting peace and security in our country,” he added.

The Commander, Operation Safe Corridor (OPSC), Brig.-Gen. Yusuf Ali, said that OPSC was a multi-agency humanitarian scheme backed by extant provisions of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria as well as International Humanitarian and Human Right Laws.

Ali said the programme had since its commencement in 2016, successfully processed 2,190 clients comprising 2,163 Nigerians and 27 foreign nationals from Cameroon, Chad and Niger.

He said that all the foreign clients were transferred to their respective national authorities for reintegration.

According to him, between July and November 2024, a total of 825 clients were transferred to the DRR Camp to commence training.

“Amongst them are 14 foreigners from Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Chad and Niger. It is also important to mention that 22 clients were subsequently transferred to the Federal Neuro-Psychiatric Hospital, Maiduguri for further evaluation and management,” he said.

The commander said the meeting was to work out modalities for the smooth transfer of the clients presently in the camp to their national and states authorities for re-integration after graduation in March.