The Nigerian military has announced plans to release 381 rehabilitated ex-terrorists in March 2025 and has urged state governments to facilitate their reintegration through structured monitoring and empowerment programs.
According to The PUNCH, the Chief of Defence Staff, Gen. Christopher Musa, represented by the Chief of Defence Policy and Plans, Air Vice Marshal Shayi Olatunde, emphasized the importance of ensuring that former insurgents are properly reintegrated into society to maintain the progress made under Operation Safe Corridor.
Musa disclosed that a total of 789 former combatants are currently undergoing rehabilitation, with 381 set to complete the process next year.
He called on state governments to actively support their transition by implementing security measures to monitor reintegrated individuals.
“I, therefore, urge the benefiting state governments to ensure the proper integration of these individuals by deploying necessary security apparatus to track their progress,” he said.
The Defence Chief also noted that each rehabilitated individual would receive personal items and start-up kits to help them establish small businesses.
“This support package will enable them to rebuild their lives alongside their families,” he stated. “We believe that with the collaboration of local and traditional authorities, states can play a crucial role in ensuring these individuals do not return to criminal activities.”
Brig. Gen. Y. Ali, the Coordinator of Operation Safe Corridor, revealed that since the program’s inception in 2016, at least 2,190 repentant terrorists have been reintegrated, including 27 foreign nationals repatriated to their home countries.
Ali also noted that between July and November 2024, a fresh batch of 825 individuals—including 14 foreigners from Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Chad, and Niger—were transferred to the De-radicalisation, Rehabilitation, and Reintegration camp for training.
“Among them, 22 individuals requiring further psychological evaluation were referred to the Federal Neuropsychiatric Hospital in Maiduguri for specialized care,” Ali stated.
The meeting was convened to finalize strategies for the smooth transition of the rehabilitated individuals to state and national authorities upon their graduation in March 2025.
