The Defence Headquarters (DHQ) 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.
129,000 B/Haram fighters surrendered, only 800 undergoing rehabilitation
The Chief of Defence Training and Operations, Emeka Onumajuru, revealed this when he appeared as a guest on Channels TV Morning Brief on Monday, February 10.
According to Onumajuru, 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.
Insurgents: DHQ speaks on one-year deradicalisation programme
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.
Speaking further, the military chief defended the feasibility of rehabilitating former insurgents within a year.
He noted that the programme is handled by professionals under Operation Safe Corridor, a non-kinetic approach to combating terrorism and clarified that not all surrendered fighters are automatically admitted into the programme.
Onumajuru explained thus:
“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.”
“It’s possible because the deradicalisation is done by professionals. That one-year period is sufficient enough, depending on the people handling the deradicalisation.”
“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.”
Terrorists killed six soldiers in Borno
earlier reported that the defence headquarters confirmed the killing of six Nigerian soldiers by the Islamic State/Boko Haram at a military base in Borno.
According to the defence headquarters, fighter jets were deployed from Maiduguri, which was 100 kilometres away from the scene of the attack. The military disclosed that during the confrontation, 34 terrorists were killed, and 23 AK-47 weapons were recovered.
The attack was carried out by fighters from the Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP) who arrived at the base in Sabon Gari, Damboa district, in trucks and on motorcycles. The insurgents set fire to the base and army vehicles, engaging troops in an intense gun battle.
Source: Legit.ng
