By: Paul Joseph
No fewer than 117 repentant terrorists have completed the Federal Government’s de-radicalisation, rehabilitation and reintegration (DRR) programme under Operation Safe Corridor in Borno State.
The development was disclosed in a statement on Thursday by Samaila Uba, Director of Defence Information. He said the OPSC Coordinator, Y. Ali, announced the graduation during a high-level stakeholders’ meeting convened by the Defence Headquarters in collaboration with OPSC leadership at the Nigerian Army Resource Centre.
The meeting focused on finalising modalities for transferring the rehabilitated individuals to their respective state and national authorities for reintegration into society.
Ali explained that the former combatants underwent the DRR process at the Mallam Sidi Camp, describing the milestone as evidence of improved coordination between federal and state governments in reception, monitoring and community reintegration efforts.
He commended the Chief of Defence Staff, Olufemi Oloyede, for providing leadership and institutional backing for the initiative. According to him, the growth of OPSC aligns with the CDS philosophy of enhanced jointness, improved welfare and sound administration under a whole-of-government framework.
Ali noted that OPSC operates as a multi-agency humanitarian stabilisation programme supported by the 1999 Constitution and international humanitarian and human rights instruments. The programme draws personnel from 17 services, ministries, departments and agencies.
Since its establishment in 2016, he said, the initiative has strengthened its screening processes, refined ideological disengagement modules, enhanced psychosocial recovery systems and expanded inter-agency collaboration to ensure accountability and sustainable reintegration outcomes.
The coordinator also highlighted the expansion of OPSC to the North-West, where a DRR camp established in February last year marked a key stabilisation milestone. He revealed ongoing engagement with the Zamfara State Government to reposition the facility into a comprehensive victim healing, rehabilitation and reintegration centre, integrating psychosocial recovery, community reconciliation, livelihood support and structured monitoring.
Ali added that Benue State has formally requested the establishment of a DRR camp. The Defence Headquarters has assessed proposed locations and advised alignment with national standards on infrastructure, security and sustainability before approval.
Outlining the objectives of the meeting, he said stakeholders deliberated on clarifying the roles of state authorities and ministries, identifying structured resettlement support frameworks, agreeing on community sensitisation and camp visitation modalities, and ratifying graduation timelines for rehabilitated clients.
Representing the CDS, Jamal Abdusalam, Chief of Defence Operations at Defence Headquarters, reaffirmed Nigeria’s commitment to a whole-of-government and whole-of-society approach to peacebuilding.
He described OPSC as a vital component of Nigeria’s security architecture, noting that while military operations create the conditions for stabilisation, structured rehabilitation and reintegration help consolidate gains and prevent a resurgence of violence.
The meeting drew participants from federal ministries, the Office of the National Security Adviser, state governments, neighbouring countries — including Burkina Faso, Chad, Niger and Cameroon — as well as international partners such as Norway, United Kingdom, the European Union, the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, the International Committee of the Red Cross and the International Organization for Migration, among others.
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