The Federal Government has announced that the second Operation SAFE CORRIDOR Disarmament, Demobilisation, and Reintegration (DDR) Camp will soon be operational in the North-West region to encourage low-risk terrorists and bandits to surrender their arms.
The first centre was established in Mallam Sidi, Gombe State.
This was disclosed by the National Coordinator of the National Counter Terrorism Centre (NCTC), Office of the National Security Adviser (ONSA), Major-General Adamu Garba Laka, during a visit from a delegation of the Alliance de Sahel from Burkina Faso, Mali, and Niger, who were on a study tour of the centre.
Laka noted that the deradicalisation of ex-combatants began in the Nigerian Correctional Service in 2015 and has since been replicated in other custodial centres due to its success.
“The programme aims to deradicalise, rehabilitate, and reintegrate low-risk members of terrorist groups, with the goal of remoulding them into better citizens,” Laka stated.
He further revealed that the camp has successfully graduated nearly 3,000 individuals since its inception and confirmed that the second Operation SAFE CORRIDOR DDR Camp will soon begin operations in the North-West.
Emphasising the importance of international cooperation in counter-terrorism, Laka highlighted that Nigeria, Niger, Chad, Cameroon, and Benin Republic have aligned their efforts both militarily and strategically through the Lake Chad Basin Commission and the Multinational Joint Task Force.
Meanwhile, Katsina State Governor, Dikko Radda, has declared that his administration will not negotiate with terrorists.
However, he stated that his government is willing to welcome and reintegrate any terrorist who voluntarily surrenders, renounces violence, and commits to being a law-abiding citizen.
“We will not seek out terrorists in the forest to negotiate. However, if they voluntarily surrender, renounce violence, and choose to become law-abiding citizens, we are open to reintegrating them into society,” Radda affirmed.
