Reports that the Nigerian military is recruiting some repentant terrorists and bandits have been refuted by the Defense Headquarters (DHQ).
In a statement released on Tuesday in Abuja by Brigadier General Yusuf Alli, the Coordinator of Operation Safe Corridor, the DHQ refuted several widely circulated claims that suggested repentant terrorists were being recruited into the military via the back door.
“We can never recruit killers into the army, and we are not doing that,” General Alli declared.
Additionally, he disregarded concerns that de-radicalized and reintegrated repentant terrorists are now allegedly becoming informants for Boko Haram/ISWAP terrorists and undermining military operations in the Northeast.
He claims that the terrorists who are repentant cannot go back to the criminal camp because they will be executed if they do.
“The repentant terrorists, who are low-risk terrorists who were coerced into joining the Boko Haram insurgency against their choice and many of them fled the terrorists’ dens when the chance arose, cannot return to the terrorist organization.
They’ll be murdered. He said, “The high-risk terrorists think they are now government spies who have profited and will sell them out.”
He underlined that Operation Safe Corridor is only focused on rehabilitation and reintegration, citing the Nigerian Army’s stringent enlistment policies that automatically disqualify anyone with a criminal past.
“You cannot join the military or any security agency if you have a criminal record,” he stated.
The organizer pointed out that Operation Safe Corridor is a concept intended to handle surrendered rebels rather than a real camp or military recruitment campaign.
According to him, surrendered terrorists are divided into three groups by a multi-agency screening procedure that involves the Ministry of Justice and other national and international organizations:
Medium-risk: People with some engagement in terrorist activities; High-risk: Core fighters and commanders; Low-risk: Forced or coerced participants with no crimes that can be prosecuted
“Only the low-risk group is admitted into Operation Safe Corridor for rehabilitation; these are people who have been found to have no case by the legal system,” the official stated.
To help them get ready for civilian life, participants get trauma counseling, de-radicalization, and vocational training. Numerous people who have experienced psychological trauma and drug addiction attend.
“Skills training like farming, carpentry, and tailoring helps ensure they can contribute positively to society,” he continued.
Brig. Gen. Ali emphasized that Operation Safe Corridor does not take the role of criminal justice because hardline terrorists who are apprehended face legal repercussions.
When hardcore terrorists are apprehended during operations, they are prosecuted and, if found guilty, imprisoned.
The program has a dual-track structure, with victims receiving rehabilitation and reintegration and offenders receiving criminal justice.
“Operation Safe Corridor is about rehabilitation, not recruitment, and its purpose is to prevent a return to violence,” he continued. “The military’s message is clear.”
