The Senate on Thursday introduced a bill for an act to establish an agency for the rehabilitation, deradicalisation and integration of repentant Boko Haram insurgents in the country.
The bill was sponsored by Ibrahim Gaidam of Yobe East senatorial district.
Recall that Nigerian Army had handed over hundreds of repentant Boko Haram members to the Borno State government after undergoing the process of De-radicalisation, Rehabilitation and Reintegration, DRR, by the Army.
The Chief of Defence Staff, Abayomi Olonisakin has said that the DRR programme is part of Operation Safe Corridor established to create opportunity for willing, surrendered and repentant Boko Haram fighters undergo de-radicalisation process.
He said that “the programme is to facilitate their return to normal life. Consequently, a committee comprising governors of Adamawa, Borno and Yobe States and service chiefs, among other security agencies was set up under my chairmanship to midwife the programme.”
The move was, however, objected to by many Nigerians, saying that the programme was not enough to “to make them fully reintegrate back to their societies”.
Details later…
