The Defence Headquarters has dismissed claims circulating on social media alleging that repentant and active Boko Haram members are being armed to fight alongside Nigerian troops under Operation Safe Corridor. The allegation, made in a viral video by a Danish vlogger identified as Jones Raw, was described by the military……
The Defence Headquarters has dismissed claims circulating on social media alleging that repentant and active Boko Haram members are being armed to fight alongside Nigerian troops under Operation Safe Corridor.
The allegation, made in a viral video by a Danish vlogger identified as Jones Raw, was described by the military as “false, misleading, and entirely unfounded.”
The Coordinator of Operation Safe Corridor, Brigadier General Yusuf Ali, clarified that the facility shown in the video is not one of the programme’s De-radicalisation, Rehabilitation, and Reintegration (DRR) camps.
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He explained that the official OPSC facility handling former Boko Haram members is located in Mallam Sidi, Gombe State, and operates as a secured and controlled military environment.
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According to him, the location depicted in the video does not match the structural design, layout, or operational setting of the recognised facility.
He further noted that neither the vlogger nor the individuals featured in the footage have ever been granted access to the camp.
Ali stressed that Operation Safe Corridor is a strictly non-kinetic, multi-agency initiative focused on the deradicalisation, rehabilitation, and reintegration of carefully screened individuals.
“At no point are participants armed, mobilised, or deployed for combat operations,” he said, adding that beneficiaries are handed over to state authorities after completing the programme and remain under monitoring frameworks.
He added that the initiative operates with the support of international partners, including the European Union, ensuring adherence to global best practices and transparency.
The DHQ maintained that the programme remains a key component of Nigeria’s counterterrorism strategy, aimed at reducing the number of active fighters and encouraging voluntary disengagement from insurgent groups.
Ali also invited credible observers to visit the OPSC facility in Mallam Sidi to independently verify its operations, urging the public to disregard the misleading claims.
