DHQ Hands Over 86 Boko Haram Child Fighters To Rehab Centre In Borno

The Defence Headquarters (DHQ) said it has handed over 86 Boko Haram child fighters to the Borno State Rehabilitation Centre as part of effort to ensure that minors and other repentant insurgents in the North East are given the necessary support and opportunity to embrace peace. 

It said the 86 Boko Haram child fighters voluntarily surrendered to troops of operation Lafiya Dole through the auspices of Operation Safe Corridor (OPSC) and were handed over to the Borno State Rehabilitation Centre in Bulumkutu. 

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Operation Safe Corridor is a Defence Headquarters led non-kinetic multi-national and multi-agency humanitarian operation conducted in tandem with extant international humanitarian laws to encourage willing and repentant Boko Haram terrorists in the North East to shun violent extremism. 

Col Onyema Nwachukwu, Acting Director Defence Information (DDI) in a statement on Thursday in Abuja said the child fighters who are between ages 10 – 19 are part of over 1,370 Boko Haram fighters who have so far surrendered to troops of Operation Lafiya Dole, adding that a thorough profiling and screening of the minors were considered suitable for the 6 months De-radicalization, Rehabilitation and Re-integration (DRR) programme. 

Onyema added that the handover ceremony was witnessed by the Borno State Commissioner of Women Affairs and Social Development, Hajiya Zuwaira Gambo and UNICEF Official, Mr Clement Adams, noting that the duo congratulated the surrenderers for laying down their arms and urged them to take advantage of the DRR programme to turn a new leaf and abandon the senseless struggle

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He added that the repentant child fighters would undergo comprehensive Child Care Programme sponsored and organized by United Nations International Children’s Emergency Fund (UNICEF) in conjunction with Borno State Ministry of Women Affairs and Social Development, stressing that arrangement is also ongoing to transfer another set of 500 repentant insurgents to Operation Safe Corridor for DRR Programme.

The statement read in part: “The operation is designed to also de-radicalize, rehabilitate and re-integrate repentant Boko Haram combatants who willingly surrender to troops. 

“The scheme is a global model that enjoys collaboration and support from local and international Non-Governmental Organisations (NGOs) as well as Multi-national Organisations, such as, United Nations International Children’s Emergency Fund (UNICEF), International Organization for Migration (IOM), United States Agency for International Development (USAID), Department for International Development (DFID), Centre for Democracy and Development (CDD) and North East Regional Initiative (NERI).

“The Armed Forces of Nigeria (AFN) wishes to use this medium to call on willing Boko Haram fighters to abandon the futile struggle and surrender to troops of Operation Lafiya Dole. Those who voluntarily surrender to troops are guaranteed of safety and will benefit from the Operation Safe Corridor de-radicalization, rehabilitation and re-integration programme.  

“The  offer is further committed to its strict adherence to the rules of engagement and other extant laws especially as it relates to minors in conflict situations, ” the statement noted.

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