The National Counter Terrorism Centre (NCTC), under the Office of the National Security Adviser (ONSA), has disclosed that over 5,000 repented Boko Haram fighters have been reunited with their families after undergoing a deradicalisation programme.
Ambassador Mairo Musa Abbas, Head of Preventing and Countering Violent Extremism (PCVE), made this known on Thursday at the second-day session of the Lake Chad Basin Governors’ Forum.
She spoke during the third panel discussion themed “Managing Boko Haram Exits and Demobilisation of Armed Groups.”
Abbas stated that none of the rehabilitated individuals had returned to terrorist activities after six months in the deradicalisation camp under Operation Safe Corridor, the government’s reintegration initiative.
“Under Operation Safe Corridor programme, we have deradicalised over 5,000 ex-combatants of Boko Haram and reunited them with their families,” she said.
“They are using the skills they have acquired in the six months of deradicalisation programme in the camp, to sustain themselves within the communities.
“Our collaborators from the National Orientation Agency (NOA) are within 774 local governments in Nigeria, and traditional and religious leaders within the community have a monitoring mechanism where they are able to track their progress after reintegration.”
She further explained that the Borno Model, a state-led initiative aimed at reintegrating former extremists into society, had contributed significantly to the government’s efforts to foster peace.
“We always said ‘Borno Model’ is a model of necessity, but we have recorded a lot of success with the model because many repented fighters have been reunited with families,” she added.
Abbas urged governors and stakeholders in the Lake Chad region to adopt a harmonised approach to ensure consistency in addressing issues related to former Boko Haram combatants.
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