117 repentant terrorists complete rehabilitation programme

No fewer than 117 repentant terrorists from Borno State have completed the Disarmament, Rehabilitation and Reintegration programme under Operation Safe Corridor, as the initiative expands to the North West.

This is, as the Benue State Government has requested, the establishment of a DRR camp in the North Central region.

A statement issued on Thursday by the Director of Defence Information, Maj. Gen. Samaila Uba said the graduation was disclosed at a high-level stakeholders’ meeting convened by Defence Headquarters at the Nigerian Army Resource Centre to finalise modalities for transferring rehabilitated clients to national and state authorities for reintegration.

The Coordinator of Operation Safe Corridor, Brig. Gen. Y. Ali said the 117 graduates completed the DRR process at Mallam Sidi Camp in Borno State.

He described the development as a reflection of improved coordination between federal and state authorities on reception, monitoring and community reintegration.

The statement read in part, “Providing operational updates, the Coordinator disclosed that 117 clients from Borno State have successfully completed the DRR process at Mallam Sidi Camp, reflecting strengthened federal–state harmonisation in reception, monitoring and community reintegration.

“He also highlighted the expansion of OPSC to the North West, where a DRR camp established in February last year marked a significant stabilisation milestone. Ongoing engagements with Zamfara State aim to recalibrate the facility toward a comprehensive Victim Healing, Rehabilitation and Reintegration framework, integrating psychosocial recovery, community reconciliation, livelihood support and structured monitoring.”

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In the North Central region, Ali disclosed that Benue State had formally requested the establishment of a DRR camp. He added that Defence Headquarters had assessed proposed sites and advised alignment with national infrastructure, security and sustainability standards before approval.

Participants at the meeting included representatives of federal ministries, the Office of the National Security Adviser, state governments, and neighbouring countries—Burkina Faso, Chad, Niger and Cameroon—as well as international partners such as the International Committee of the Red Cross and the International Organization for Migration, alongside Norway, the United Kingdom, the European Union and the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office.

Delivering the keynote address, the Chief of Defence Staff and Chairman of the OPSC National Steering Committee, Gen. Olufemi Oluyede, represented by the Chief of Defence Operations, Maj. Gen. Jamal Abdusalam said Operation Safe Corridor remained a key component of Nigeria’s security architecture.

He noted that while kinetic operations created space for stability, structured rehabilitation and reintegration were essential to sustain security gains and prevent a return to violence.

Nigeria’s counter-insurgency strategy combines military operations with the rehabilitation of surrendered fighters through Operation Safe Corridor, launched in 2016 to support disarmament, deradicalisation and reintegration. The programme is now being expanded beyond the North East as more states affected by insurgency and banditry seek DRR camps to support stabilisation and recovery efforts.