390 former Boko Haram members have graduated from the Federal Government’s De-radicalization, Rehabilitation, and Reintegration (DRR) program in Gombe State and are now prepared to reintegrate into society. The graduation ceremony occurred in Malam Sidi, Kwami Local Government Area of Gombe State.
The graduates, who arrived at the camp in July 2024, underwent various rebuilding activities designed to reshape them for reintegration. According to the Chief of Defence Staff, Gen. Christopher Musa, who was represented by Maj.-Gen. Sunday Makollo, the Federal Government's non-kinetic approach is positively impacting military operations in the Northeast.
Musa urged the graduates to be agents of peace in their communities and warned them against violating their oath of allegiance to Nigeria.
Col. Abiodun Johnson, Commandant of the DRR Camp, Operation Safe Corridor (OPSC), reported that the clients included 384 Nigerians and six foreign nationals who had been rehabilitated.
The Nigerian participants came from various states, including Adamawa, Akwa-Ibom, Bauchi, Borno, Cross River, Edo, Gombe, Jigawa, Kaduna, Kano, Katsina, Kebbi, Kogi, Nasarawa, Niger, Osun, Oyo, Plateau, Sokoto, Taraba, Yobe and Zamfara. The foreign clients included individuals from Cameroon, Chad, and the Niger Republic.
During the DRR program, the clients received training in different skills, including welding, tailoring, carpentry, baking, laundry, and electrical repairs.
The training aimed to facilitate their reintegration into society and discourage them from returning to criminal activities.
The graduates confessed their past, renounced their membership in the insurgent group, and swore an oath of allegiance to be loyal and responsible citizens.
The National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) Director-General, Mrs. Zubaida Umar, reaffirmed the Federal Government's commitment to addressing insecurity in the country.
NEMA also donated food and non-food items to support the graduates' reintegration, including bags of rice and maize, vegetable oil, seasoning, tomato paste, plates, and spoons. Each participant received a starter pack aligned with their newly acquired skills and a N50,000 stipend to help them get back on their feet.
