The Defence Headquarters (DHQ) says 601 repentant Boko Haram members have been rehabilitated in Gombe state.

Bamidele Shafa, coordinator of Operation Safe Corridor, said on Saturday they graduated from the de-radicalisation, rehabilitation and reintegration (DRR) camp in Mallam Sidi, Gombe.

The development comes days after some residents of Borno state kicked against the reintegration of repentant Boko Haram members in their communities.

The military in 2016 launched Operation Safe Corridor, an initiative for the deradicalisation and rehabilitation of ex-Boko Haram members.

According to Shafa, the graduands include 14 nationals from Cameroon, Chad and Niger.

“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,” Shafa said.

“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).”