The Defence Headquarters (DHQ) has dismissed reports alleging that repentant terrorists and bandits are being secretly recruited into the Nigerian military, describing the claims as false and misleading.
The Coordinator of Operation Safe Corridor, Brigadier General Yusuf Alli, who spoke on Tuesday in Abuja, said the Nigerian Armed Forces maintain strict recruitment procedures that automatically disqualify anyone with a criminal record.
“We are not recruiting any k!llers into the army, and we can never do that,” Alli said, stressing that the military would not compromise its standards under any circumstance.
The clarification comes amid growing public concern and online reports suggesting that former insurgents who surrendered under the government’s de-radicalisation programme were being absorbed into the military through backdoor arrangements.
Alli also dismissed fears that repentant terrorists, after being reintegrated into society, were acting as informants for Boko Haram and ISWAP terrorists or undermining military operations in the North-East.
According to him, such claims are unfounded, noting that those who undergo the de-radicalisation programme cannot return to insurgent groups because of the risk of being killed.
“The repentant terrorists, who are classified as low-risk individuals—many of whom were coerced or forced into joining insurgent groups—cannot go back to the bush. If they do, they will be k!lled,” he explained.
He added that high-risk insurgents often suspect those who surrender of being government spies, further discouraging any return to terrorist enclaves.
Alli further explained that the Operation Safe Corridor initiative is not a recruitment platform but a structured rehabilitation and reintegration programme designed to manage surrendered insurgents.
He said participants undergo a multi-agency screening process involving the Ministry of Justice and other stakeholders, including international partners, to determine their level of involvement in terrorism.
Under the system, surrendered individuals are categorised into low-risk, medium-risk, and high-risk groups. Only the low-risk category—comprising individuals assessed to have no prosecutable offences—is admitted into the programme.
“These are individuals the justice system has determined have no case to answer,” Alli said.
He noted that participants in the programme receive de-radicalisation therapy, trauma counselling, and vocational training to aid their reintegration into society.
Skills acquisition programmes in areas such as tailoring, carpentry, and agriculture are also provided to help them become productive citizens.
Alli emphasised that the programme does not override the criminal justice system, adding that individuals found culpable of terrorism are prosecuted and punished in accordance with the law.
“Hardcore terrorists captured during operations are prosecuted and, if convicted, imprisoned,” he said.
He explained that the initiative operates a dual-track approach—prosecution for offenders and rehabilitation for those who qualify for reintegration—adding that its core objective is to prevent a relapse into violence rather than serve as a recruitment channel.
“The military’s message is clear: Operation Safe Corridor is about rehabilitation, not recruitment,” he stated.
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