The Defence Headquarters has revealed that 800 former Boko Haram fighters who surrendered to the Nigerian military are currently undergoing deradicalisation as part of efforts to reintegrate them into society.
The Chief of Defence Operations, Maj.-Gen. Emeka Onumajuru, disclosed this on Monday during an interview on Channels Television.
According to Onumajuru, the deradicalisation programme, known as Operation Safe Corridor, aims to rehabilitate and reintegrate the ex-fighters within a year.
He stated, “Right now, we have about 129,000 surrendered Boko Haram members and their families. However, only 800 of them have been carefully selected to participate in the deradicalisation and reintegration programme.”
He explained that the process involves both legal and psychological assessments. “We are a professional army. When an opponent surrenders, you take him and allow the legal process to take its natural course. Some are in detention facilities, some are in Kainji, and there’s a special court reviewing their cases. Those found culpable face prosecution, while others undergo deradicalisation, which takes about a year,” he said.
When asked if one year is enough to fully deradicalise and reintegrate ex-terrorists, Maj.-Gen. Onumajuru responded, “It’s possible because the deradicalisation is done by professionals. The one-year period is sufficient, depending on the expertise of those handling the process. The number is not large; these 800 have gone through thorough screening before being admitted to the programme.”
He further stressed the importance of combining military action with non-military strategies to combat insurgency effectively.
“The deradicalisation under *Operation Safe Corridor* is part of our non-kinetic approach. You cannot win an asymmetrical war with just military force,” Onumajuru added.
The DHQ assured Nigerians that security agencies will continue to monitor the progress of the deradicalised individuals to ensure national safety.
