601 ex-Boko Haram combatants graduate in Gombe

By SOLA SHITTU, Gombe

The Coordinator of Operation Safe Corridor, Major General Bamidele Shafa disclosed on Saturday that 601 deradicalised ex Boko Haram combatants has graduated at the DRR camp in Mallam Sidi, Gombe.

Out of the 601 graduates of the batch 4 client which arrived in 2 chalk on 27 November and 14 December 2019 592 are Nigerians from 10 states of the federation while 14 are foreign Nationals from Cameroon, Chad and Niger.

Out of this number, three died of health complications while one was referred for further medical treatment at the Neuro-psychiatric Hospital in Maiduguri.

Shafa said another one was withdrawn on disciplinary ground and transferred for re-categorization and prosecution.

“On arrival at the camp, the clients went through documentation processes to obtain vital background information after which they were subjected to comprehensive medical screening to determine their health status

“Their DNA samples were also collected while their biometrics were captured on National Data using the National Identity Management Commission, (NIMC) facilities for future references. The background information serves as guide for the experts; Local Treatment Team (LTT) to properly place the clients for treatment therapies and vocational training. The LTT are specialised experts in various fields of deradicalisation and rehabilitation therapies drawn from the Nigerian Correctional Service (NCoS),” he said. (The Nation)