Boko Haram: Chief Of Defence Staff Speaks On Recruiting Terrorists In Military

Gen. Gabriel Olonisakin, the Chief of Defence Staff, on Thursday dismissed reports that rehabilitated Boko Haram terrorists will be recruited into Nigerian military.

Olonisakin, who spoke at a stakeholders’ Meeting of Operation Safe Corridor (OPSC) on Thursday in Abuja, said measures have been put in place to prevent such.

Represented by Chief of Defence Policy and Plans, AVM Nurudeen Balogun, at the meeting which was convened by the Defence Headquarters to work out modalities for the transfer of rehabilitated ex-Boko Haram terrorists to their national and state governments, he said  “I wish to categorically refute the claim and assure Nigerians that none of the rehabilitated Nigerians from OPSC Deradicalization, Rehabilitation and Reintegration has been recruited into the Nigerian Military or any sister security agencies.

“Stringent measures have been put in place to prevent such from happening.

“The Federal Government of Nigeria and indeed the armed forces as well as the Security agencies are committed to ending the insurgency in the North East and other forms of criminalities bedeviling the nation,” he said.

“However, through consistent and effective air interdiction and regular clearance operations on identified strongholds of the insurgents, the Sect has suffered heavy casualties in its leadership cadre causing confusion in their ranks.

He maintained that over 1,000 high profile Boko Haram Terrorists/Islamic State of West African Province members have been arrested and investigated, out of which over 500 have been convicted by courts of competent jurisdiction.

“Generally, counterinsurgency operations are dynamic and requires ingenuity to achieve desired results.

The chief of Defence staff also maintained that President Muhammadu Buhari is doing well in using the multi-dimensional approach to addressing the insurgency.

“Mr President therefore directed the establishment of OPERATION SAFE CORRIDOR to create opportunities for them to lay down their arms and undergo a structured De-radicalization, Rehabilitation and Reintegration Programme. The Scheme is multi-agency in nature with over 450 staff drawn from 17 Services, Ministries, Departments and Agencies with the support of local and international partners as well as friendly nations.

“OPSC activities are guided by extant provisions of international humanitarian and human right laws as well as the Constitution of the Federal Government of Nigeria,” he said. T

The CDS disclosed that over 2,000 low profile Boko Haram/ISWAP members had laid down their arms out of which about 1,000 have been processed by OPSC.

He added that over 250 members including two foreign nationals had been successfully reintegrated by their national and state governments.

According to him, the remaining 692 clients are currently undergoing the DRR programme at the camp in Gombe and Bulumkutu Rehabilitation Centre in Maiduguri.

“It is expected that more clients will be absorbed into the programme this year,” he said.

Earlier, the Coordinator of OPSC, Maj.-Gen. Bamidele Shafa, said that programme had become a global model for other countries to emulate in recent time, adding that it has continued to contribute to knowledge in the field of DRR.

Shafa said that many countries from Lake Chad Basin Region, Africa and far away Europe had come to understudy OPSC procedures in order to replicate same to address similar situation.

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