The Nigerian military says 95 former Boko Haram fighters are to be re-integrated into the society following a 16-week re-orientation program. They are the first set of confirmed former fighters to complete the program. The men are among more than 254 former Boko Haram militants admitted to a specialist centre in the North-eastern state of Gombe under the Operation Safe Corridor program.
A statement from the Defence Ministry in Abuja said it smacks of the sensitivity of the government to human rights to allow surrendered and repentant Boko Haram fighters to undergo rehabilitation and re-integration at the government-funded facility.
The next step for former fighters, who also receive vocational training in areas such as farming and soap-making, is to be handed over to their state governments before being reunited with their families.
Apart from the ex-combatants being re-orientated, the Nigerian military says, so far, it has also facilitated the rehabilitation of 750 suspects including men, women and children who have been cleared of links to the militant group. The military also says some UN agencies assisted the government in organizing the program.
Since the Boko Haram insurgency began in 2009, thousands of people have been killed and millions displaced in Nigeria, Niger, Chad and Cameroon.
