The Chief of Defence Staff, Gen. Lucky Irabor, disclosed that 51,828 Boko Haram fighters and their family members surrendered to the Federal Government between July 2021 and May 2022. He made the announcement while delivering a lecture at the 7th Founders’ Day of Edo State University Uzairue, titled “National Defence Policy and Transitional Justice Approach in the War Against Insurgency in Nigeria.” Of the 51,828 surrenderees, 13,360 were combatants. Irabor also noted that 1,543 repentant terrorists have graduated from the Mallam Sidi camp in Gombe State (2016‑2022), while 1,935 have been released from the Bulumkutu camp in Maiduguri.
Irabor explained that Operation Safe Corridor, a transitional‑justice initiative modeled on the 2009 Niger Delta Amnesty programme, establishes special facilities where surrendered terrorists can be rehabilitated. “Operation Safe Corridor offers numerous opportunities, and participants are scheduled for vocational training to ease their reintegration into society,” he emphasized. However, he acknowledged several challenges: a lack of specialised training expertise, inadequate physical infrastructure, poor collaboration and coordination, absence of appropriate reintegration legislation, low agency and international participation, and an ineffective monitoring system.
To address these issues, Irabor proposed a way forward that includes a train‑the‑trainers programme, the creation of a dedicated fund for deradicalisation, reintegration and reorientation, the establishment of a national commission for deradicalisation and reintegration (DRR), the enactment of a DRR Act, building strategic partnerships, and adopting a whole‑of‑society approach to monitoring. He stressed that transitional justice is essential for healing wounds from past conflicts such as the Nigerian civil war and the Niger Delta crisis, and that Operation Safe Corridor has achieved modest successes that can be expanded.
Earlier, Vice‑Chancellor Engr. Prof. Emmanuel Aluyor praised Governor Godwin Obaseki and Deputy Governor Philip Shaibu for their continuous support of the university and for creating an enabling environment. He thanked Gen. Irabor for delivering this year’s Founders’ Day lecture and invited him to tour the campus, noting that the university’s beauty lies not only in its architecture but also in its teaching and research facilities. Prof. Aluyor highlighted that the annual lectures have shaped the outlook of the Founders’ Day ceremony, with students and parents eagerly awaiting discussions on how Nigeria can become a nation of collective dreams. He affirmed that since its inception, Edo State University Uzairue has been committed to world‑class teaching, learning, and research, and announced plans to launch new programmes such as Pharmacy and additional postgraduate courses.
Representing Governor Obaseki, Hon. Inusa Imhonopi commended the university’s management for successfully hosting this year’s Founders’ Day.
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