Reintegration of repentant Boko Haram fighters essential for national security, says NOA

The National Orientation Agency (NOA) has pledged support for Operation Safe Corridor (OSC), a federal government initiative focused on deradicalising, rehabilitating, and reintegrating repentant insurgents.

The agency made the commitment on May 2 when Yusuf Ali, coordinator of OSC, and his team, paid a courtesy visit to the NOA’s headquarters in Abuja.

Receiving the delegation, Lanre Issa-Onilu, NOA director-general, acknowledged “widespread misinformation” about OSC.

According to a statement on the agency’s X page, Issa-Onilu said he hitherto had reservations about the programme due to limited understanding, but now appreciates the initiative’s objectives and logic.

He described the programme as essential for national peace and security.

The DG said many of the programme’s beneficiaries “were not ideological extremists but victims of abduction, coercion, or manipulation during insurgent occupation in the north-east”.

He noted the importance of community-based reintegration, adding that without local and government support, many ex-insurgents remain isolated and vulnerable.

Isaa-Onilu lauded the military and security agencies for their efforts, while calling for increased public education to counter negative narratives and promote national unity.

In his remarks, Ali harped on the need to address insecurity through kinetic and non-kinetic approaches.

The coordinator expressed concern about stigmatisation and misinformation that hinder reintegration and national cohesion.

He said the programme has been running for nearly a decade with support from UN agencies, state governments, traditional rulers, and religious institutions.