Tinubu vows clear reporting on former militants' rehabilitation programme

President Bola Tinubu has promised to create clear and trustworthy reporting for former fighters who give up and go through rehabilitation and reintegration with Nigerian authorities.

This promise is part of the All Progressives Congress (APC)’s manifesto for 2027, 2031. The manifesto lays out the president’s security plans if he wins a second term.

The 109-page document, released on Tuesday, also aims to improve current rehabilitation systems and widen programmes for deradicalisation, trauma support, and peace-building.

It states that the government will enhance these systems with “standardised, verifiable reporting on all screened, reintegrated, and prosecuted ex-combatants.”

This commitment comes as the public continues to discuss the government's handling of former terrorists. There are worries about how well these individuals will be accepted back into communities that have suffered from years of violence.

One major effort by the government is Operation Safe Corridor, started in 2016. This programme aims to rehabilitate and reintegrate former Boko Haram members who surrender and are found suitable for it.

Participants in the initiative receive psychological help, religious reorientation, and vocational training, among other support, to help them transition back to civilian life.

Still, the programme has faced backlash, especially from some communities and victims of violence. They question the reintegration of former fighters while many survivors continue to deal with displacement, trauma, and the loss of family members.

The military insists that the programme is not an amnesty plan. It is meant for individuals seen as low-risk. Those who have committed serious crimes are expected to go through the legal system.

In an interview from April 2026, Yuauf Ali, who coordinates Operation Safe Corridor, said the programme is improving its screening and monitoring processes to respond to concerns about its trustworthiness.

Ali also mentioned that the government is expanding rehabilitation facilities beyond the North-east. This includes addressing security issues in the North-west and North-central regions.

The APC manifesto does not explain how the new reporting system will work or which government agency will be in charge of sharing the information.

Aside from helping former insurgents, the manifesto promises to increase trauma support, deradicalisation, and peace-building efforts for communities affected by violence.

It also vows to assist the safe return of internally displaced persons to their homes to help restore normal life in areas hit by conflict.