The Special Adviser on Security to the Sokoto State Governor, Colonel Ahmed Usman (retd.), has called on state and community stakeholders to strengthen efforts towards the successful reintegration of 390 former Boko Haram fighters who have completed a deradicalisation programme.
According to The PUNCH, Col. Usman emphasised that the Nigerian military, under its Operation Safe Corridor initiative, had fulfilled its mandate by preparing the ex-insurgents for a return to civilian life.
“These individuals have undergone thorough psychological counselling, vocational training, and civic education. They have been deemed fit to rejoin society,” he stated. “But their reintegration now rests heavily on how well communities are willing to accept them back.”
The former combatants, identified as part of Special Batch 6/2024 and Sulhu Batch 7/2024, have been officially handed over to their respective state governments after completing the Deradicalisation, Rehabilitation, and Reintegration programme.
According to Usman, the ex-insurgents have received training in trades such as agriculture, shoemaking, carpentry, tailoring, and welding to aid their re-entry into economic life.
“Reintegration is not the sole responsibility of the government or the military,” he said. “It requires the collective efforts of local authorities, community leaders, civil society organisations, and the general public.”
He stressed that inclusive and community-driven approaches are essential for sustaining peace, noting, “Peace is not achieved through force alone. We must rebuild trust, restore livelihoods, and offer second chances to those who genuinely repent.”
Col. Usman also advocated for long-term strategies that go beyond the handover process, including public sensitisation and community-based economic empowerment programmes to prevent the return of the ex-fighters to violence.
Operation Safe Corridor, launched in 2016, is the Nigerian military’s non-kinetic response to insurgency, focusing on persuading fighters to defect and equipping them with tools to reintegrate into civilian society.
Usman’s call comes at a crucial time as Northern Nigeria continues to grapple with the ripple effects of insurgency and seeks to restore peace and normalcy.
