The Military High Command has revealed that at least 559 former members of Boko Haram fighters are currently undergoing rehabilitation under one of its programmes being handled by Operation Safe Corridor (OPSC) called Radicalisation, Rehabilitation and Reintegration (DRR) in Gombe State.
The Chief of Defence Staff (CDS), General Lucky Irabor, who disclosed this at Defence headquarters, Abuja, dismissed reports claiming that some of the over 1,000 rehabilitated ex-Boko Haram fighters have been recruited into the Nigerian military.
There had been concerns in some quarters over alleged recruitment of rehabilitated former fighters into the military and paramilitary agencies but the military has consistently described the concerns as “unfounded”, saying there are stringent safeguards put in place to prevent such.
Irabor, who was represented at the meeting by the Chief of Defence Training and Operations, Maj.-Gen. Adeyemi Yekini, maintained that none of such former fighters would as well be recruited into any of the sister security services in the country.
