The Defence Headquarters has dismissed claims that repentant terrorists are being secretly recruited into the military, insisting that such allegations are false.
The DHQ also rejected concerns that former insurgents who passed through de-radicalisation and reintegration programmes are now serving as informants for Boko Haram and ISWAP in the North-East.
Speaking in Abuja on Tuesday, the Coordinator of Operation Safe Corridor, Brigadier General Yusuf Alli, said the fears were baseless.
“There is no way the repentant terrorists, who are low-risk terrorists, who were conscripted, forced to join the Boko Haram insurgency against their will, and many who escaped from the terrorists’ dens when the opportunity came, can go back to the terrorists’ group.” They will be killed. The high-risk terrorists believe they are now government spies who have benefitted and will sell them out.”
Alli explained that the military maintains strict recruitment standards that bar anyone with a criminal history from joining the armed forces or any security agency.
“Once you have any criminal record, you cannot join the military or any security agency,” he said.
He stressed that Operation Safe Corridor is not a military recruitment scheme or a physical camp, but rather a programme aimed at handling surrendered insurgents.
The initiative was introduced between 2015 and 2016 during the peak of insurgency in the North-East, as many fighters either surrendered voluntarily or escaped during military offensives.
According to him, many of those involved were forced into insurgent groups after attacks on their communities in places such as Gwoza, Bama and Madagali.
Alli said surrendered insurgents are screened by several agencies, including the Ministry of Justice, and are grouped into three categories: low-risk, medium-risk and high-risk.
The low-risk group consists of individuals forced into insurgency and found not to have committed prosecutable offences. Medium-risk individuals are those with some degree of involvement in terrorist acts, while high-risk persons are core fighters and commanders.
“Only the low-risk group is admitted into Operation Safe Corridor for rehabilitation – these are individuals the justice system has determined have no case to answer,” the official said.
He added that participants in the programme undergo de-radicalisation, trauma counselling and vocational training to help them rebuild their lives.
“Participants receive de-radicalisation, trauma counselling, and vocational training to prepare them for civilian life. Many arrive suffering from psychological trauma and drug dependency.
“Skills training such as tailoring, carpentry, and farming helps ensure they can contribute positively to society.
Alli further stated that Operation Safe Corridor does not replace the criminal justice system, noting that hardened terrorists captured during military operations are still prosecuted.
“Hardcore terrorists captured during operations are prosecuted and, if convicted, imprisoned.
“The programme operates on a dual-track system: criminal justice for offenders and rehabilitation and reintegration for victims.”
He maintained that the objective of the programme is to stop former insurgents from returning to violence.
“The military’s message is clear: Operation Safe Corridor is about rehabilitation, not recruitment, and its purpose is to prevent a return to violence.”
