The Defence Headquarters has revealed that 800 former Boko Haram terrorists who surrendered to the military are currently undergoing deradicalisation as part of efforts to reintegrate them into society.
Speaking on Channels TV Morning Brief on Monday, the Chief of Defence Training and Operations, Emeka Onumajuru, disclosed that while 129,000 Boko Haram members and their families had surrendered, only a select group had been chosen for rehabilitation.
“To get the numbers right, right now, (we have) about 129,000 surrendered Boko Haram members and their families,” Onumajuru stated.
He explained that all surrendered individuals undergo legal scrutiny, with those found guilty facing prosecution, while those deemed fit for rehabilitation are placed in the deradicalisation programme.
“Some of them are in detention facilities, some of them are in Kainji, and there is a special court that goes through all of them. Those that were found culpable face the books, and those that are going to be deradicalised go through the process, which takes about a year,” he said.
Onumajuru defended the feasibility of rehabilitating former insurgents within a year, stating that the programme is handled by professionals under Operation Safe Corridor, a non-kinetic strategy in the fight against terrorism.
“It’s possible because the deradicalisation is done by professionals. That one-year period is sufficient enough, depending on the people handling the deradicalisation,” Onumajuru asserted.
He further clarified that not all surrendered fighters are automatically placed in the programme.
“The number taken in is not huge. As I said, we have 129,000 Boko Haram members and families. It doesn’t mean the 129,000 are going through the programme. The people going through the programme right now are about 800—in batches,” he explained.
The Defence Headquarters reassured the public that only those deemed suitable for reintegration are enrolled in the deradicalisation process while others face legal consequences as determined by the courts.
