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The Nigerian government has transferred 22 former terrorists from the Operation Safe Corridor (OPSC) rehabilitation centre to the Federal Neuro-Psychiatric Hospital in Maiduguri, Borno State, for medical assessment and specialised treatment.
The decision was announced during a stakeholders’ meeting in Abuja, where discussions focused on strategies for reintegrating rehabilitated individuals into society.
Brigadier General Yusuf Ali, Coordinator of OPSC, emphasized that the affected individuals required psychiatric care as part of their rehabilitation process.
Since its inception in 2016, Operation Safe Corridor has processed 2,190 individuals, including 2,163 Nigerians and 27 foreign nationals from Cameroon, Chad, and Niger Republic, all of whom have been repatriated.
Between July and November 2024, the program admitted 825 new individuals, including 14 foreigners from Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Chad, and Niger.
The Chief of Defence Staff (CDS), General Christopher Musa, represented by Air Vice Marshal Sayo Olatunde, revealed that over 120,000 terrorists and their families have surrendered since 2016.
Currently, 789 ex-combatants are undergoing de-radicalization, rehabilitation, and reintegration, with 391 insurgents set to be reintegrated into their communities in March 2025.
Authorities plan to provide these individuals with personal items and trade-specific startup kits to help them rebuild their lives.
The CDS urged state governments to support reintegration efforts by working with local and traditional leaders to monitor progress and enhance community security.