By Chuks Oyema-Aziken
The Defence Headquarters (DHQ) and Operation SAFE CORRIDOR (OPSC) on Thursday convened a high-level stakeholders’ meeting in Abuja to finalise modalities for the transfer of rehabilitated clients to their respective national and state authorities for structured reintegration into society.
The meeting, held at the Nigerian Army Resource Centre, brought together representatives of federal ministries, the Office of the National Security Adviser, state governments and regional partners, including Burkina Faso, Chad, Niger and Cameroon.
International development partners such as Norway, the United Kingdom, the European Union, the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO), the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) and the International Organization for Migration (IOM) were also in attendance.
In a keynote address delivered on his behalf by the Chief of Defence Operations, Major General Jamal Abdusalam, the Chief of Defence Staff (CDS), General Olufemi Oluyede, reaffirmed Nigeria’s commitment to a whole-of-government and whole-of-society approach to peacebuilding and national recovery.
He described Operation SAFE CORRIDOR as a critical component of Nigeria’s security architecture, noting that while military operations create the enabling environment for stability, rehabilitation and reintegration programmes are essential to consolidating those gains and preventing a relapse into violence.
According to the CDS, since its establishment in 2016, the programme has processed thousands of clients under a structured Disarmament, Rehabilitation and Reintegration (DRR) framework designed to ensure accountability, behavioural change and long-term stability.
Earlier, the Coordinator of Operation SAFE CORRIDOR, Brigadier General Y. Ali, said the progress and expansion of the programme were anchored on enhanced inter-agency cooperation, improved welfare and sound administration under a coordinated national framework.
He explained that OPSC is a multi-agency humanitarian stabilisation initiative backed by the Constitution and relevant international humanitarian and human rights instruments, drawing personnel from 17 services, ministries, departments and agencies.
Providing operational updates, Brigadier General Ali disclosed that 117 clients from Borno State recently completed the DRR process at Mallam Sidi Camp, reflecting improved federal-state collaboration in reception, monitoring and community reintegration.
He also highlighted the expansion of the programme to the North West, where a DRR camp established last year is undergoing recalibration in collaboration with Zamfara State authorities toward a broader Victim Healing, Rehabilitation and Reintegration framework.
In the North Central region, he revealed that Benue State has formally requested the establishment of a DRR camp, with Defence Headquarters already assessing proposed sites to ensure alignment with national infrastructure, security and sustainability standards.
The meeting further deliberated on clarifying the roles of state governments and MDAs, structured resettlement support mechanisms, community sensitisation strategies and graduation timelines for rehabilitated clients.
Participants received updates on camp activities and de-radicalisation efforts, as officials reiterated that sustained collaboration among federal, state and international stakeholders remains crucial to consolidating Nigeria’s security gains through coordinated rehabilitation and reintegration efforts.
