No fewer than 744 former terrorists and victims of violent extremism on Thursday graduated from the Federal Authorities’s De-radicalisation, Rehabilitation and Reintegration programme below Operation Protected Hall.
A breakdown of the graduates reveals that two are from Abia State, 10 from Adamawa State, one from Akwa Ibom State, two from Anambra State, 12 from Bauchi State, 597 from Borno State, three from Ebonyi State, one from Enugu State, 15 from Kano State, three from Katsina State, one from Kebbi State, 5 from Kogi State, 4 from Nasarawa State, two from Niger State, two from Plateau State, two from Sokoto State, and 58 from Yobe State.
The members additionally embrace overseas nationals: one from Burkina Faso, one from Cameroon, two from Chad, and 4 from the Niger Republic.
By way of faith, 733 of the graduates are Muslims, whereas 11 are Christians.
Talking on the ceremony in Gombe, the Chief of Defence Workers, Gen. Olufemi Oluyede, stated the initiative will not be a reward for violence however a strategic software to counter extremism.
Represented by the Director of Particular Operations Forces at Defence Headquarters, Rear Admiral Kabiru Tanimu, he stated the programme addresses the human dimension of insurgency and helps long-term peacebuilding.
He added that whereas navy operations stay essential to neutralise threats, sustainable peace will depend on rehabilitation and reintegration efforts.
Oluyede pressured that Operation Protected Hall will not be an amnesty programme, however a structured intervention aimed toward decreasing violence, weakening extremist recruitment, and selling stability.
He urged the graduates to embrace a brand new path, warning towards a return to violence, and inspired them to contribute positively to society.
In accordance with him, profitable reintegration requires assist from state governments, communities, households, and establishments.
Earlier, the Coordinator of Operation Protected Hall, Brig. Gen. Yusuf Ali, stated the programme was designed as a strategic response to insurgency, combining safety operations with rehabilitation efforts.
He defined that members underwent psychosocial assist, vocational coaching, spiritual reorientation, civic schooling, and behavioural transformation.
Ali famous that many beneficiaries had been victims of coercion and compelled recruitment, including that the programme offers them a possibility to rebuild their lives and reintegrate into society as accountable residents.
He emphasised that reintegration is a shared duty requiring group acceptance and institutional assist.
The Governor of Gombe State, Muhammad Yahaya, represented by his aide, urged the graduates to embrace the chance for a contemporary begin and change into productive members of society.
He stated the programme displays the Federal Authorities’s dedication below President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to peacebuilding, de-radicalisation, and reintegration efforts.
The commencement highlights Nigeria’s continued shift in direction of combining navy operations with non-kinetic methods in addressing insurgency, significantly within the North-East, as a part of broader efforts to cut back recidivism and promote long-term stability.