President Muhammadu Buhari Tuesday in Abuja applauded steps being taken by the Office of the National Security Adviser (ONSA) and other agencies of government to rehabilitate victims of terrorism and violent extremism in Nigeria.
Speaking after receiving a briefing on the work of the Countering Violent Extremism (CVE) Department of ONSA, President Buhari said that the Federal Government will continue to do its best to ensure that victims of Boko Haram’s atrocities receive necessary support, even as it strives to rid the country of terrorism and insurgency in the shortest possible time.
One of the objectives of the CVE is to reform terrorists and prevent others from joining terrorist organisations and violent sects.
Dr Fatima Akilu, Head of the CVE, told President Buhari that its non-military approach was running concurrently with the armed onslaught against insurgents in the country.
Dr. Akilu said that so far, the CVE has rehabilitated no fewer than 305 victims of terrorism rescued from the Sambisa Forest by the Nigerian military.
She told the President that a National Security Corridor Program has been created to provide a safe route for those who wish to leave Boko Haram voluntarily, and that 47 erstwhile members of the group have embraced the program.
Dr. Akilu also said that no fewer than 22 women and girls, recruited as suicide bombers by Boko haram are now undergoing rehabilitation by the CVE after voluntarily embracing its de-radicalization program.
