The Chief of Defence Staff, Gen. Lucky Irabor, said on Thursday the military would hand over 613 repentant and rehabilitated terrorists to their state governments.
The CDS stated this during the fifth stakeholders’ meeting of Operation Safe Corridor (OPSC) in Abuja.
He noted that the meeting would discuss the deradicalisation, rehabilitation and reintegration programme of the former terrorists ahead of their transfer to state governments.
Irabor, who was represented at the meeting by the Chief of Defence Training and Operation, Maj. Gen. Adeyemi Yekini, said 83,000 insurgents had surrendered to the military since the establishment of the OPS.
President Muhammadu Buhari established the OPS in September 2015 to enable repentant terrorists to lay down their arms and undergo the deradicalisation, rehabilitation and reintegration programme
The CDS said: “It is also important to mention that upon graduation from the programme, each client will be provided some food and personal items, as well as a start-up pack according to the trade learnt during training to enable them to set up small businesses and start a new life.
“We, therefore, recommended that the receiving state governments should provide the necessary support to enable the ex-combatants to wade through the transitional and most challenging phase of their lives
