In a national address on June 12, Nigerian President Bola Tinubu praised security forces for the gains that they are making on the ground. Along with military goals, he emphasized that the path to peace will be paved with a multifaceted approach to counterterrorism.
“Over 13,000 terrorists have been neutralized in the past year,” he said. “But we also keep the door of surrender open. Over 124,000 fighters and dependents have laid down their arms since 2023. Through Operation Safe Corridor we turn our former enemies into citizens.”
Established in 2016, Operation Safe Corridor (OPSC) is a disarmament, demobilization and reintegration (DDR) program designed to rehabilitate low-risk insurgents associated with terrorist groups. More than 300,000 insurgents surrendered between 2016 and 2025, according to the Armed Forces of Nigeria, with 3,442 people successfully reintegrated into society after graduating from the program.
While many consider Nigeria’s OPSC DDR program a success in the North East region, concerns have been raised about recidivism, with reports of some graduates returning to terror groups. Proponents say the relatively low number of graduates is due to limited resources and strict vetting of candidates that excludes high-profile commanders, unrepentant fighters and combatants accused of atrocities.
“The numbers do indicate success,” researcher Hakeem Najimdeen wrote in a July 8 opinion piece for Al Jazeera. “They show that sustained military pressure, coupled with rehabilitation opportunities, is driving defections and generating intelligence that helps security forces accelerate operations and save lives.”
Defections from the two most prominent terrorist groups, Boko Haram and the Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP) in the northeast, have strengthened the case for the DDR program. As splinter groups and new terrorist groups have risen in the North West, Safe Corridor has expanded as well.
Participants undergo psychosocial support, reorientation and vocational training, according to program coordinator Brig. Gen. Yusuf Ali, who said that a successful plan requires support from government, communities and families. He believes the program has evolved since 2016 by strengthening screening mechanisms, refining its curriculum for ideological disengagement, expanding interagency coordination and improving accountability with an emphasis on sustainable reintegration.
In a ceremony at Safe Corridor headquarters in Gombe State on April 16, 744 former terrorists graduated from the program. Of them, 597 were from Borno State, where Boko Haram and ISWAP have been based for years.
Chief of Defence Staff Gen. Olufemi Oluyede encouraged the graduates to embrace society. He explained that the DDR program is part of a strategic effort to address the root causes of insurgency, adding that it is not an amnesty program but a tool to curb extremism and terrorist recruitment.
“This is not a reward but a deliberate approach to reducing violence, weakening recruitment pipelines and fostering long-term stability,” he said.
With reformed terrorists reentering society, in some cases alongside victims of their group’s violence, Najimdeen said the government and the military face a difficult balancing act.
“Encouraging fighters to defect may be necessary to weaken armed groups and bring the conflict closer to an end,” he wrote. “But that cannot come at the expense of justice for victims. Reintegration will remain fragile and morally troubling if those who suffered the most are left displaced, unsupported and without redress.”
Urging fighters to surrender and take advantage of Nigeria’s DDR programs, Tinubu issued a stern warning to those militants who are continuing the insurgency: The government has committed a record budget of nearly $4 billion to the military.
“To bandits, kidnappers and sponsors of terror: Surrender or face the full force of the Nigerian state,” he said. “These windows of surrender will not remain open forever. No mercy will be shown to those who trade in the blood of Nigerians.”