By ZAKAA LAZARUS
The Military High Command on Tuesday, March 31 2026, has firmly debunked claims that former insurgents are being recruited into the Armed Forces of Nigeria.
The military rather affirmed that rehabilitated individuals are closely monitored through a structured reintegration programme.
During a media briefing with Defence Correspondent on the activities of the operation, the Coordinator of Operation SAFE CORRIDOR (OPSC), Brigadier General Yusuf Ali said the initiative of OPSC focuses on deradicalisation and reintegration, not military enlistment, stressing that multiple layers of community and state oversight are in place.
According to him, the programme works with grassroots stakeholders, noting that it includes “traditional rulers, spiritual religious leaders, even youth leaders up to the community level,” who help oversee the reintegration of participants.
He explained that, once individuals complete the programme, responsibility shifts to state authorities. “We only provide the client for them after they graduate, then the state government society, and they do that by co-opting traditional rulers, religious leaders,” he said.
He noted that to ensure accountability, all participants are documented in a national database. The coordinator stated that “any client who passes through operation SAFE CORRIDOR is registered in the National Identity Management Commission database used for tracking any of them.”
He added that security agencies can quickly respond if any reintegrated individual is suspected of wrongdoing. “Immediately at the push of the button, you have all the information about so you have the local police, the State Security Services, all security agencies,” he said.
While acknowledging that the system is not perfect, Brigadier General Ali maintained that there is constant surveillance and evaluation. “This is the monitoring and evaluation process that we have on the ground. It might not be foolproof, but we are ready to welcome ideas on how to improve them further.”
He also argued that any failure in the system would quickly become public knowledge, noting that “bad news obviously spreads very, very wide.”
