In a renewed push to promote peace and reintegration in Nigeria’s conflict-affected regions, the Federal Government has graduated 390 repentant Boko Haram members from its De-radicalisation, Rehabilitation, and Reintegration (DRR) programme in Gombe State.
The ceremony was held on Thursday at the Malam Sidi DRR camp in Kwami Local Government Area. Chief of Defence Staff, Gen. Christopher Musa, represented by Maj.-Gen. Sunday Makollo, said the batch arrived in July 2024 and underwent months of intensive reorientation aimed at transforming them into productive members of society.
Gen. Musa said the non-combat strategy employed by the government is making significant contributions to restoring security, particularly in the North-East, where the insurgency has lingered for over a decade. He called on the graduates to act as peacebuilders and warned them against reneging on the oath of loyalty sworn to the nation.
Col. Abiodun Johnson, Commandant of the DRR Camp under Operation Safe Corridor, provided a detailed breakdown of the participants: 384 Nigerians and six foreign nationals from Chad, Cameroon, and Niger Republic. The majority—218 individuals—were from Borno State, the epicentre of the Boko Haram crisis.
Johnson explained that the programme equipped the participants with vocational skills such as tailoring, welding, carpentry, baking, and electrical repairs, all intended to ease their return into mainstream society and discourage future criminal activity.
“All of them have denounced their past and sworn allegiance to the Federal Republic of Nigeria. They’ve been trained and empowered for a fresh start,” Johnson said.
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Representing the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA), Air Commodore Abang Oyong announced that the agency had donated food and essential household items to support the reintegration process. This includes 400 bags each of rice and maize, 400 bottles of vegetable oil, cartons of seasoning and tomato paste, as well as 800 plates and spoons.
Each participant also received a starter pack aligned with their newly acquired skills and a N50,000 stipend to help them get back on their feet.
NEMA Director-General, Mrs Zubaida Umar, applauded the resilience of the Armed Forces and thanked President Bola Tinubu for expanding the DRR initiative to all six geopolitical zones, including the recent addition of a camp in Zamfara State.
The DRR initiative continues to serve as a key component of Nigeria’s broader peacebuilding framework, aimed at breaking the cycle of violence and restoring stability to conflict-ridden regions.