A report of over 2,168 repentant Boko Haram members have graduated from the federal government’s De-radicalisation, Rehabilitation and Reintegration (DRR) program in Gombe State.
The commandant of the DRR Camp, Operation Safe Corridor, Col. Abiodun Johnson stated this on Thursday during a courtesy visit by the Borno deputy governor, Usman Kadafur.
Johnson said that the clients had passed through various rebuilding programs and underwent a series of medical screening, psychological and psycho-spiritual counselling, sports therapy, drug abuse counselling and Western education programmes.
He said that during the six-month programme, the clients were trained in vocational skills, including carpentry, cap knitting, shoe making, tailoring and electrification.
He explained that all the clients also ventured into farming in the camp as a compulsory trade, noting that the programme was divided into three phases: the initial documentation, initial medical test, intelligence profiling, NIMC profiling biometrics and capturing.
He said, “We are also doing categorisation to monitor different psychological points of mind of the client, which will give us the advantage of knowing the type of psychological first aid they will undergo.
“We also have the buy-in process where everybody must accept that they will be part of the programme,” he said.
After the programme, the clients graduate with skills that enable them to become self-reliant, he further explained.
“The reintegration was done by partners in collaboration with community leaders. We also have a feedback mechanism through our partners to find out what the clients are doing. So far, the feedback we are receiving is impressive, as they have been doing very well.”
He said that the repentant Boko Haram fighters swore an oath of allegiance to the Nigerian government before they were released back to their respective society.
