The Chief of Defence Staff (CDS), Gen. Olufemi Oluyede, has stated that the Operation Safe Corridor (OPSC) has processed thousands of clients—terrorists—through a controlled and integrity-driven Disarmament, Rehabilitation and Reintegration (DRR) framework since its inception in 2016.
“When properly screened and coordinated, surrender pathways degrade insurgent cohesion, generate actionable intelligence, and support long-term stability,” the CDS said.
Oluyede made the remarks at a high-level stakeholders’ meeting convened by the Defence Headquarters in collaboration with OPSC to finalise modalities for transferring rehabilitated clients to their respective national and state authorities for reintegration.
The meeting brought together representatives of federal ministries, the Office of the National Security Adviser, state governments, and neighbouring countries including Burkina Faso, Chad, Niger, and Cameroon.
International partners also attended, including Norway, the United Kingdom, the European Union, the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO), the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC), the International Organisation for Migration (IOM), and other development agencies.
The CDS and Chairman of the OPSC National Steering Committee reaffirmed Nigeria’s commitment to a whole-of-government and whole-of-society approach to peacebuilding and national recovery.
Represented by the Chief of Defence Operations at the DHQ, Maj.-Gen. Jamal Abdusalam, Oluyede described OPSC as a critical pillar of Nigeria’s security architecture. He noted that while kinetic operations create space for stabilisation, structured rehabilitation and reintegration consolidate those gains and prevent the recycling of violence.
Earlier, the Coordinator of Operation Safe Corridor, Brig.-Gen. Y. Ali, described OPSC as a multi-agency humanitarian stabilisation programme backed by the Constitution of Nigeria and relevant international humanitarian and human rights instruments, drawing personnel from 17 Services, Ministries, Departments, and Agencies.
Since inception, the programme has evolved institutionally, strengthening screening mechanisms, refining ideological disengagement modules, improving psychosocial recovery systems, and expanding inter-agency coordination. Ali stressed that OPSC remains structured and integrity-protected, with emphasis on accountability, behavioural change, and sustainable reintegration outcomes.
Providing operational updates, the Coordinator disclosed that 117 clients from Borno State have successfully completed the DRR process at Mallam Sidi Camp, reflecting strengthened federal–state harmonisation in reception, monitoring, and community reintegration.
He also highlighted the expansion of OPSC to the North West, where a DRR camp established in February last year marked a significant stabilisation milestone.
Ongoing engagements with Zamfara State, he said, aim to recalibrate the facility toward a comprehensive Victim Healing, Rehabilitation, and Reintegration framework, integrating psychosocial recovery, community reconciliation, livelihood support, and structured monitoring.
“In the North Central region, Benue State has formally requested the establishment of a DRR camp,” Ali said, adding that DHQ had assessed proposed sites and advised alignment with national infrastructure, security, and sustainability standards before approval.
Outlining the objectives of the stakeholders’ meeting, he stated that deliberations were expected to clarify the roles of state authorities and MDAs, identify structured resettlement support frameworks, determine modalities for community sensitisation and camp visitation, and ratify graduation timelines for rehabilitated clients.
The engagement also included updates on de-radicalisation, rehabilitation, and reintegration camp activities, as well as briefs by participants.
The guardian
