The Chief of Defence Staff, Gen. Abayomi Olonisakin, has said the second batch of former Boko Haram insurgents, about 157, have been de-radicalised and ready for re-integration into their communities.
Gen. Olonisakin, who is the National Chairman of Operation Safe Corridor, a programme which allows Boko Haram fighters to surrender and be reintegrated into their communities, said the ex-fighters have successfully gone through De-radicalisation, Rehabilitation and Re-integration (DRR) and would be re-united with their families soon.
He noted that the 157 ex-fighters, who were admitted into the DRR Camp last year December, were trained in vocational skills including farming, barbing, tailoring, welding, poultry, among others.
The Army chief spoke at the Headquarters of the Defence Intelligence Agency (DIA), Abuja, during a stakeholders’ meeting to workout modalities for the resettlement of the ex-insurgents.
He was represented by the Chief of Civil Military Relations, Defence Headquarters, Abuja, Rear Admiral Peter Agu Onaji.
Gen. Olonisakin told the gathering that after a robust rehabilitation programme by the DRR Officials, it was time for stakeholders to review the conduct of the last exercise and see how past errors can be corrected, examine others issues and facilitate a hitch-free transfer of the ex-fighters to their states.
The Army chief, who praised President Muhammadu Buhari for establishing the Operation Safe Corridor programme in 2015, said the programme has remained successful with the support of international organisations, global bodies and the Presidential Initiative on the North East (PINE).
According to him, the first batch of 95 ex-fighters were admitted into Operation Safe Corridor DRR Camp in July 2017, and have been successfully transferred to their states.
Coordinator of Operation Safe Corridor, Maj.Gen. Bamidele Shafa said following the establishment of the body in 2015, about 310 members of staff from various military, security and civil agencies were mobilised and trained on the concepts of the programme based on international best practises and standards.