In this report, TARKAA DAVID examines the success stories of Operation Safe Corridor and the challenges of reintegrating participants after the six-month De-radicalisation and Rehabilitation Programme
Nigeria's ongoing efforts to combat violent extremism have increasingly focused on non-kinetic approaches aimed at breaking the cycle of radicalisation and insecurity. Central to this strategy is rehabilitation and reintegration, which seeks to prevent vulnerable individuals from being drawn into terrorist networks.
The federal government's De-radicalisation, Rehabilitation and Reintegration (DRR) programme has helped reduce terrorist recruitment, with over 3,000 victims of terrorism already passing through the initiative.
The reform programme aims to give victims of violent extremism a second chance at life, offering them an opportunity to start afresh.
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Though initially conceived for repentant terrorists, the programme also caters to victims of violent extremism in the country who have found themselves in difficult situations, whether through conscription or unlawful arrests.
The Chief of Defence Staff, General Olufemi Oluyede, in his remarks during the graduation ceremony of Special Batch 7/2024, Special Batch 8/2025, and Sulhu Batch 8/2025, said the programme is not an amnesty for violent extremists.
The CDS represented by the Director Special Operations, Defence Headquarters, Rear Admiral, Kabir Tanimu also said the programme is not a sign of weakness by the government in the fight against terrorism.
He described the graduation of 744 clients of Operation Safe Corridor as a it is nostalgic moment and a statement of progress, a demonstration of national resolve and a testimony to the power of strategic thinking in addressing human dimensions of conflict.
According to the Defence Chief, Operation Safe Corridor represents Nigeria's firm belief that while kinetic operations are necessary to neutralise threats, lasting peace can only be achieved when we address the underlying drivers of de-radicalisation, disengagement and disintegration.
" Today, we are witnessing the outcome of that belief as 744 individuals who once stood on the fringes of conflicts are now being given a structured pathway back into the society.
"This is not a reward but a deliberate strategy to reduce violence, weaken extremist recruitment and promote long-term stability,".
He charged the graduating students,to make maximum use of the opportunity "this programme has given you an opportunity for reflection, for a change and for a new beginning.
You are returning not just to your communities but to a responsibility to live peacefully, to contribute meaningfully and to reject all forms of violence and extremism. Nigeria is giving you a second chance, do not waste it,".
Oluyede while commending the staff and multi-agency structure of Operation Safe Corridor said the armed forces, security agencies, ministries and civil institutions have worked together seamlessly to deliver this programme.
"This reflects what can be achieved when institutions align under a shared national objective,".
He expressed appreciation to partners, particularly the International Organisation for Migration, the European Union, the Foreign Commonwealth and Development Office, the Centre for Democracy and Development Intermediates, Embassy of Switzerland in Nigeria and the international community of the Red Cross for their continued support to Operation Safe Corridor.
"Your contributions have strengthened our capacity, improved programme delivery and reinforced Nigeria's commitment to non-kinetic approaches in conflict resolution.
"Today also marks an important milestone with the commissioning of the de-radicalisation studio. This facility represents a strategic evolution in our approach,".
He emphasised that Operation Safe Corridor "is not an amnesty programme and it is not a sign of weakness,".
According to him, the programme only complements military operations by addressing the human threat of conflicts, reducing recidivism, thus relapsing back to criminal actions and weakening the ideological foundations of violent extremism.
He noted that after the completion of the programme, the responsibility now shift to the state governments, communities and all stakeholders involved in this reintegration.
"Reception, monitoring and community acceptance remain critical to sustaining the gains achieved today. This must be a collective effort,".
He reiterated that security is not only by force but also about understanding, rehabilitation and reintegration.
"It is about building a nation where even those who have strayed are given a structured path back under accountability, under supervision and under a framework that prioritises peace,".
The coordinator of Programme, Brig. Gen. Yusuf Ali explained that operation Safe Corridor was established as a deliberate strategic response to address the human dimensions of insurgency.
He said while military operations continue to degrade and neutralise threats, it became evident that lasting peace requires a structured pathway for development, disengagement, rehabilitation, and reintegration of those willing to renounce violence.
"Over the past months, these clients have undergone a comprehensive programme that includes psychosocial support, vocational training, religious reorientation, educational reform, civic education, and behavioural transformation,".
He explained further that this process is not merely about disengagement but involves building and rebuilding identity, restoring values, and preparing individuals to return to society as responsible citizens.
"Graduating here today are individuals who at one point had normal lives. They have their dreams. They have visions and aspirations. However, due to circumstances beyond their control, many were abducted, coerced, or drawn into the complexities of conflicts, thereby losing the opportunity to pursue their dreams and aspirations. Some were victims of manipulation, others of force, and many of circumstances beyond their control. But today marks a turning point. From this moment, they have been given the opportunity to reclaim their identity, rebuild their lives, and pursue a future defined not by conflict but by purpose," he said.
While commending partners, he said the support enhanced the programme delivery and strengthened institutional capacity, thereby enabling the military to innovate responses to emerging challenges.
He identified one of such innovations as the de-radicalisation studio, which he said was conceived based on operational realities.
"Experience shows that the standard duration of the programme alone might not be sufficient to achieve the desired depths of de-radicalisation. The de-radicalisation studio provides a platform for continuous engagement through structured digital content, targeted messaging, and sustained reorientation programme, thereby improving retention, reinforcing positive behavioural change, and enhancing overall programme effectiveness,".
General Ali tasked the graduating clients, that they have been given the opportunity to start life afresh. "What lies ahead depends on your commitment to the values you have learned here at the Centre. You are returning to your communities not as the same individual who came in, but as people who have been prepared for a different positive path, make the right choices,".
He emphasised that the success of this programme does not end at the passing out from camp.
"Reintegration is a shared responsibility. State governments, community leaders, families, and institutions all have critical roles to play in ensuring that these individuals are accepted, monitored, and supported,".
The Commandant, DRR Camp Mallam Sidi Colonel Mohammed Danjuma Bello said OPSC does not reintegrate, but it sets the stage for the process by the individual State based on existing dynamics.
According to him, the Camp has so far graduated over 3,325 since inception till date, adding that OPSC activities are guided by its Standard Operating Guidance Note (SOGN) which draws its Constitutional Provisions/Legal and Policy Instruments from the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria
The DRR Camp OPSC was created on 22 April 2016 to deradicalise, rehabilitate and prepare ex-combatants for reintegration.
"It houses willingly surrendered ex-BHT/ASWAP former fighters who are referred to as Clients.
This is specifically done to ensure that stigmatization is completely avoided. The Clients are engaged in carefully laid out DRR programme to ensure that at the end of the program, they have been completely reformed and have become better citizens with a means of livelihood or skill that they can rely on for sustainability.
"The programme involves carefully selected and focused specific activities in relevant thematic areas. It is largely localized based on the environment where the Clients were domiciled before conscription into BHT sect," he highlighted.
He however, lamented that the DRR Camp is bedevilled with a number of challenges particularly, the reintegration phase which is handled by the states government.
He said the statement government's are iexpected to monitor the progress of the ex-clients in their new environment and provide feedback mechanism that would enhance the deradicalization and rehabilitation progress.
However, this phase is currently not performing as expected. Accordingly, there is the need for state governments and implementation partners to reinforce already existing strategies in redefining the reintegration phase.
He also decried shortage of skilled manpower especially when there is increase in Client numbers.
Some of the ex clients recounted how they were arrested and detained by security operatives for crimes they never committed.
Basil Anetochukwu, narrated how he was arrested and detained for several years over what he described as a case he had no involvement in.
Anetochukwu who spoke with journalists on Thursday shortly after the graduation ceremony, explained that his ordeal began in October 2022 in Anambra State after he contacted an electrician to fix a fault in his house.
He said the electrician had earlier scheduled a visit but did not show up as agreed, a situation that was later followed by a security operation at his residence in the early hours of the next day.
"The security invaded my house around 3 a.m. They were asking me about the guy. I told them I don't know him. I only called him to fix an electrical fault," he said.
According to him, he was taken into custody and moved between different detention facilities during investigations.
"I spent three months in Anambra State and another three months in Enugu. After investigations, I was later taken to Abuja and then Kainji before I got here," he said.
Anetochukwu said he only later understood that his arrest was linked to a case involving the electrician he had contacted.
He added that he has spent about seven months in the rehabilitation programme, noting that his perception of the initiative changed after his arrival.
"Initially, we were scared and afraid of the unknown. But we later realised the programme was for our benefit. We learned vocations and we are grateful for the support," he said.
He praised the Federal Government and implementing agencies for the programme, saying beneficiaries were trained in vocational skills and promised starter packs to aid reintegration.
Addressing concerns about the programme, Anetochukwu said most participants were not criminals.
"About 98 per cent of us here did not commit anything. Many are victims of circumstances. I urge Nigerians to support this programme," he said.
He also called on those still involved in violent activities to abandon such paths and embrace peace.
"We should come out and join hands with government to develop our nation for the benefit of future generations," he added.
Another graduate, Usman Hassan, shared a separate account of his arrest, saying he was picked up in 2011 during a visit to a barbing salon and remained in detention until his release in 2025 after completing the programme.
Hassan said although the rehabilitation programme was impactful, greater support was needed for reintegration.
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"They are supposed to give clients what they need to start life outside. If they are left without support, it becomes a big challenge," he said.
He disclosed that he now runs a provision store in his home state.
The graduates expressed appreciation to the Federal Government, security agencies, and programme facilitators for what they described as a transformative rehabilitation experience under Operation Safe Corridor.
Another graduate Jimoh Sifian who hails from Okene Okene, local government of Kogi State said he was arrested in Niger State In one of his visits.
He said his wife resides in Minna Niger State so him being a civil servant with Kogi States government used to visit regularly.
He said he started working with Kogi States government in 2005 and was arrested in 2015.
He said in one of the visits, he went to see his mistress who was attending Federal University of Technology Minna and then he was picked up by security agencies on the instructions of a big man.
"I was arrested in Niger State. My wife was located in Niger State. Then I was working with the Kogi State Civil Service Commission. Normally I used to pay a visit to my wife two times in a month, that's every week. Then I have a girl called Kemi. She's a student of a FUT Minna going out with her. I don't know if she has somebody that is dating her, of which he proposed to marry her. Then one fateful day, we were chilling in democracy centre in Niger State.
We now saw a strange jeep. He was calling the girl, of which the girl refused to pay attention to him. I now said, baby, why don't you pay attention to this man that is calling your name? She said to me, no worry.
"The next thing the man called me that I was the one that is instigating this girl. If I did not desist from her, he would hide me. That was the last word that he uttered.
Then after two days, I was together with my wife in the room. I now saw his security busting into my house. They took me. Immediately, they took me from Niger State. They took me to Abuja. Then they started asking me, what is my connection with this girl? That's just it
"November 3rd, 2015. On Friday, I was arrested, yeah....I heard from the security, one officer was asking my IPO, that what is the case of this man?
The man just told him that it's because of woman. That was how I got to know that it's because of this man. The next day, the man now said that they shoot take me to court. He said there is big man interested in my case. That's the word that I heard from the IPO,".
He however, thanked the federal government for the opportunity to learn a new trade to start a new life.
"I just believe it's destiny. Then I learned how to be patient and accept whatever happens to you. I'll just take it"
With growing public outcry, authorities must look inward and review the programme to ensure it aligns with the yearnings of citizens who bear the brunt of violent extremism. While the intentions may be good, issues surrounding the programme must be addressed to secure public buy-in and ensure its overall success.
