From Molly Kilete, Abuja
The Federal Government has said it had concluded plans to establish a new Operation Safe Corridor’s Disarmament, Demobilisation, and Reintegration (DDR) Camp in the north-west zone of the country to deradicalise and rehabilitate low-risk terrorists who willfully lay down their arms.
The FG also said the Multi National Joint Task Force (MNJTF) had dislodged Boko Haram from their former strongholds and successfully degraded their capacity to wage large-scale insurgency in the region.
National Coordinator, National Counter Terrorism Centre, Office of the National Security Adviser (NCTC-ONSA) Major General Adamu Laka, made this known when he received a delegation from the Alliance of Sahel States on a study tour to his office in Abuja.
Laka, while noting that the counter- insurgency war had yielded very positive results, said: “It is gladdening to inform you that we are in the process of establishing the second Operation Safe Corridor Camp which will soon be operational in the north-west zone.
“Various states are complementing the government’s efforts; for instance, the Borno State government developed the Borno model for the management of the mass-surrender situation in the state.”
Then he added: “Currently, the Technical Working Group to harmonise these models to a hybrid model has been inaugurated.
“Nigeria is your brother; we are facing the same threats. Let us come together as a team to solve the threat of terrorism which is affecting the sub region and preventing development.”
The National Coordinator while noting that the deradicalisation of ex-combatants started in the Nigerian Correctional Service in 2015 and had been replicated in other custodial centres in the country due to its success, recalled that the Federal Government established the Operation Safe Corridor at Mallam Sidi, Gombe State to encourage willing low- risk associates to lay down their arms.”
The programme, he said, aims to deradicalise, rehabilitate and reintegrate low-risk members of the terrorist group with the ultimate goal of remolding them into better citizens of the nation.
He said since its establishment, the camp had graduated almost 3,000 clients.
He said that by coming together in this spirit of mutual understanding and cooperation, they strengthen their resolve and enhance their capabilities in the area of effective counterterrorism.
“It is interesting to note that Nigeria, Niger, Chad, Cameroon and Benin Republic demonstrated this cooperation both in kinetic and non-kinetic (forms) by agreeing to synergise their military efforts under the framework of the Lake Chad Basin Commission and set up the MultiNational Joint Task Force which has dislodged Boko Haram from its former strongholds and successfully degraded their capacity to wage large scale insurgency in the region,” he said.
Hon Aliyu Gebi, leader of the delegation, described the study tour as both timely and relevant, emphasising its potential to deepen their knowledge, foster collaboration, and strengthen teamwork in regional counterterrorism efforts.