In this report, TARKAA DAVID examines the success stories of Operation Safe Corridor and the challenges of reintegrating participants after the six-month De-radicalisation and Rehabilitation Programme
Nigeria’s ongoing efforts to combat violent extremism have increasingly focused on non-kinetic approaches aimed at breaking the cycle of radicalisation and insecurity. Central to this strategy is rehabilitation and reintegration, which seeks to prevent vulnerable individuals from being drawn into terrorist networks.
The federal government’s De-radicalisation, Rehabilitation and Reintegration (DRR) programme has helped reduce terrorist recruitment, with over 3,000 victims of terrorism already passing through the initiative.
The reform programme aims to give victims of violent extremism a second chance at life, offering them an opportunity to start afresh.
Though initially conceived for repentant terrorists, the programme also caters to victims of violent extremism in the country who have found themselves in difficult situations, whether through conscription or unlawful arrests.
The Chief of Defence Staff, General Olufemi Oluyede, in his remarks during the graduation ceremony of Special Batch 7/2024, Special Batch 8/2025, and Sulhu Batch 8/2025, said the programme is not an amnesty for violent extremists.
The CDS represented by the Director Special Operations, Defence Headquarters, Rear Admiral, Kabir Tanimu also said the programme is not a sign of weakness by the government in the fight against terrorism.
He described the graduation of 744 clients of Operation Safe Corridor as a it is nostalgic moment and a statement of progress, a demonstration of national resolve and a testimony to the power of strategic thinking in addressing human dimensions of conflict.
According to the Defence Chief, Operation Safe Corridor represents Nigeria’s firm belief that while kinetic operations are necessary to neutralise threats, lasting peace can only be achieved when we address the underlying drivers of de-radicalisation, disengagement and disintegration.
” Today, we are witnessing the outcome of that belief as 744 individuals who once stood on the fringes of conflicts are now being given a structured pathway back into the society.
“This is not a reward but a deliberate strategy to reduce violence, weaken extremist recruitment and promote long-term stability,”.
He charged the graduating students,to make maximum use of the opportunity “this programme has given you an opportunity for reflection, for a change and for a new beginning.
You are returning not just to your communities but to a responsibility to live peacefully, to contribute meaningfully and to reject all forms of violence and extremism. Nigeria is giving you a second chance, do not waste it,”.
Oluyede while commending the staff and multi-agency structure of Operation Safe Corridor said the armed forces, security agencies, ministries and civil institutions have worked together seamlessly to deliver this programme.
“This reflects what can be achieved when institutions align under a shared national objective,”.
He expressed appreciation to partners, particularly the International Organisation for Migration, the European Union, the Foreign Commonwealth and Development Office, the Centre for Democracy and Development Intermediates, Embassy of Switzerland in Nigeria and the international community of the Red Cross for their continued support to Operation Safe Corridor.
“Your contributions have strengthened our capacity, improved programme delivery and reinforced Nigeria’s commitment to non-kinetic approaches in conflict resolution.
“Today also marks an important milestone with the commissioning of the de-radicalisation studio. This facility represents a strategic evolution in our approach,”.
He emphasised that Operation Safe Corridor “is not an amnesty programme and it is not a sign of weakness,”.
According to him, the programme only complements military operations by addressing the human threat of conflicts, reducing recidivism, thus relapsing back to criminal actions and weakening the ideological foundations of violent extremism.
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