Chief of Defence Staff, General Lucky Irabor on Saturday in Edo State that a total of 3,478 “repentant” Boko Haram/Islamic State in West Africa Province (ISWAP) terrorists have so far been released from their two rehabilitation camps.
General Irabor also said that no fewer than 51,828 terrorists’ fighters and their family members surrendered to the Federal Government between July 2021 and May 2022.
Irabor said that out of the 3,478, 1,543 repentant terrorists have so far graduated from Mallam Sidi camp in Gombe State between 2016 and 2022 while 1,935 have been released from the camp in Bulumkutu, Maiduguri.
He also added that out of the 51,828 surrendered terrorists, 13,360 were combatants.
The Chief of Defence Staff said while delivering a lecture titled “National Defence Policy and Transitional Justice Approach in the War Against Insurgency in Nigeria” at the 7th Founders’ Day of the Edo State University, Uzairue in Etsako West Local Government Area (LGA), said Operation Safe Corridor as a transitional justice approach was created similar to the Niger Delta Amnesty programme launched by the Federal Government in 2009 which involved the setting up of special facilities where repentant terrorists who surrendered their arms can be rehabilitated.
Irabor said: “Between July 2021 to May 2022 alone, no fewer than 51,828 Boko haram and their family members have surrendered, out of which 13,360 are fighters.
“The programme (Operation Safe Corridor) offers numerous opportunities and participants are scheduled for vocational training to ease their reintegration into society.”
General Irabor however said that despite the modest successes recorded by Operation Safe Corridor in the fight against terrorism, the programme still faces a lot of challenges.
He listed some of challenges to include lack of specialised training experts and inadequate physical structure, inadequate collaboration and coordination, absence of appropriate legislation on reintegration, low agency and international participation as well as ineffective monitoring system.
As a way forward, the CDS suggested a “train-the-trainers programme and establishment of special fund for Deradicalisation, Reintegration and Reorientation (DRR), the establishment of a National Commission for DRR, enacting of a DRR Act, building of strategic partnerships and adoption of a whole-of-society approach to monitoring.”
Earlier, the Vice Chancellor of the university, Professor Emmanuel Aluyor, commended the State Governor, Mr. Godwin Obaseki and his deputy, Philip Shaibu for their continuous support for the university and for creating an enabling environment for the university to strive.
Aluyor said that the lectures over the years have gradually shaped the outlook of the Founder’s Day ceremony where important issues on how Nigeria can be harnessed into a country of our collective dreams are delivered.
He stated that some of the lecturers and researchers are listed among the first 500 researchers in Nigeria, while the nursing and medical laboratory students recorded 100% successes in their Council’s exams.