Why Guns Alone Won’t End Nigeria’s Insecurity — OPSC Boss

The coordinator of Operation Safe Corridor (OPSC), Brigadier General Yusuf Ali, has said insecurity in Nigeria cannot be solved solely through kinetic means but by reintegrating repentant insurgents into society.

Ali made the statement on Wednesday during a media dialogue with OPSC leadership organised by the Centre for Democracy and Development.

According to him, non-kinetic approaches like the OPSC, the federal government’s Disengagement, Deradicalisation, Rehabilitation and Reintegration (DDRR) initiative, are crucial to addressing the root causes of violence.

He explained that the programme, which was launched in 2015, provides a pathway for willing and repentant insurgents and other low-risk armed actors to abandon violence and reintegrate into society as productive citizens.

He said this complements military operations by tackling the human, ideological, and socio-economic factors driving conflict, while promoting lasting peace.

“Military campaigns and operations cannot solve the problem, because this is a problem that is about us, our brothers and sisters, our relatives, who felt aggrieved as a result of one factor or the other, and are taking arms against the state,” the coordinator said.

“So, we cannot address it through just guns and bullets.

“There are other underlying factors that really need to be considered, because if you look at the reasons why these insecurities exist, some of them are ideological indoctrination, some are socio-economic marginalisation, and some relate to political institutions.

“Insurgencies will continue to exploit vulnerable people in society to orchestrate and sustain their criminal activities against the state.”

Ali added that deradicalisation programmes are not unique to Nigeria, and that countries such as Colombia, Rwanda, Uganda, and Northern Ireland have adopted similar approaches to tackle security challenges.

He said a key objective of the initiative is to separate hardened criminals from those recruited into armed groups.

The OPSC boss explained that many individuals involved in insurgency were coerced into joining such groups and that the government recognised a significant number were willing to surrender.

“It is designed so that, in order to achieve lasting peace, there must be a way of isolating the core criminals from the foot soldiers who have been recruited into these criminal gangs.

“There must be a way of separating them from the main core criminals.

“If they have shown interest in surrendering, what do we do with them? Do we insist that we will not take them back?

“That would go against international humanitarian law, the Geneva Convention, and all the rules of armed conflict, which Nigeria is a signatory to. All these considerations informed the establishment of Operation Safe Corridor,” Ali said.

Responding to criticisms that the programme accommodates all categories of insurgents, Ali clarified that strict eligibility criteria are in place.

Participants undergo thorough screening by relevant security and justice institutions and are not permitted to serve in Nigeria’s security agencies after completing the programme, he stated.

“There are strong legal and justice system screening processes involving various departments and agencies. Only those found eligible through the justice system, security screening, and other assessments are accepted into the programme,” Ali added.