800 repentant Boko Haram terrorists undergoing deradicalisation – DHQ
The Defence Headquarters has disclosed that 800 former Boko Haram fighters 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, revealed that while 129,000 Boko Haram fighters and their families had so far 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 are subjected to legal scrutiny, with those found guilty facing prosecution, while others 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.
The military chief defended the feasibility of rehabilitating former insurgents within a year, noting that the programme is handled by professionals under Operation Safe Corridor, a non-kinetic approach to combating 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 admitted into 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.
Solomon Odeniyi
The Defence Headquarters has disclosed that 800 former Boko Haram fighters 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, revealed that while 129,000 Boko Haram fighters and their families had so far 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 are subjected to legal scrutiny, with those found guilty facing prosecution, while others 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.
The military chief defended the feasibility of rehabilitating former insurgents within a year, noting that the programme is handled by professionals under Operation Safe Corridor, a non-kinetic approach to combating 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 admitted into 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.
