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DHQ Announces Review Of Operation Safe Corridor Amid Expanding Deradicalisation Efforts
The Defence Headquarters (DHQ), has announced plans to review Operation Safe Corridor, just as the deradicalisation and reintegration initiative has continued to expand.
The proposed review came weeks after the Chief of Defence Staff (CDS), General Olufemi Oluyede, commended the growth of the non-kinetic programme under the leadership of Brigadier General Yusuf Ali.
The CDS, who also served as Chairman of the Operation Safe Corridor National Steering Committee, described the initiative as a critical component of Nigeria’s security architecture.
He noted that while kinetic military operations created the conditions for stability, structured rehabilitation and reintegration efforts help consolidate those gains and prevent a resurgence of violence.
In a statement last month, the Director of Defence Information, Major General Samaila Uba, quoted General Oluyede as saying since its establishment in 2016, Operation Safe Corridor has processed thousands of participants through a structured Disarmament, Rehabilitation and Reintegration framework.
According to him, properly managed surrender pathways weakened insurgent cohesion, generated valuable intelligence and contributed to long-term peace.
Despite these achievements, the programme has continued to attract criticism at home, even as several countries facing insurgency have shown interest in studying the model.
Critics argued that rehabilitating and reintegrating surrendered insurgents amounted to rewarding criminality rather than enforcing punishment.
Others contend that the government appeared to prioritise former fighters over victims of terrorism, calling for similar initiatives focused on the welfare and recovery of those affected by insurgent violence.
Responding during a press conference at DHQ in Abuja, the Director of Defence Media Operations, Major General Michael Onoja, confirmed that a comprehensive review of the programme was under way.
He explained that Operation Safe Corridor was conceived as a collaborative policy of the DHQ, the Borno State Government and relevant ministries, departments, and agencies to provide a structured pathway for the deradicalisation and rehabilitation of surrendered insurgents.
While acknowledging that the programme has recorded measurable successes, Onoja admitted that challenges have emerged over time, making a review necessary.
He disclosed that discussions had already been held with the programme’scoordinator and that, in collaboration with the Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs and the Borno State Government under the Borno Model, a revised framework would soon be unveiled.
