The Nigerian Army has provided an insight into some of the major checks it carried out in the process of getting captured Boko Haram members deradicalised.
According to the authorities, samples of their DNA were collected and processed.
The Coordinator of Operation Safe Corridor, Major General Bamidele Shafa, revealed this on Saturday when during the graduation of 601 ex-Boko Haram members.
According to him, out of the 601 graduands that arrived at the camp 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.
He added that Shafa added that three died of health complications while one was referred for further medical treatment at the Neuro-psychiatric Hospital in Maiduguri.
Shafa said, “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).”
The graduation ceremony for Batch 4/2019 deradicalized former Boko Haram combatants took place at the Operation Safe Corridor Mallam Sidi in Gombe state today Saturday, July 25.
