The National Orientation Agency (NOA) is throwing its weight behind Operation Safe Corridor (OSC), the federal initiative designed to deradicalise, rehabilitate, and reintegrate repentant insurgents.
The pledge followed a 2nd of May visit to NOA’s Abuja headquarters by Yusuf Ali, OSC coordinator, and his team.
Welcoming the delegation, NOA’s Director-General Lanre Issa-Onilu confronted what he called “widespread misinformation” surrounding the programme.
A statement shared via the agency’s X handle at the weekend revealed that Issa-Onilu had previously viewed the programme with skepticism due to what he described as limited knowledge. But after engaging directly with OSC officials, he now sees the merit in the project’s design and goals. He called it “essential for national peace and security.”
Issa-Onilu pointed out that a large number of those undergoing rehabilitation under the scheme “were not ideological extremists but victims of abduction, coercion, or manipulation during insurgent occupation in the north-east.”
He stressed that reintegration must begin at the community level, warning that without grassroots and institutional support, former insurgents risk being pushed back into isolation or hostility.
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The DG commended military and security agencies for their work and called for widespread public education to combat false narratives and promote unity.
In his remarks, Ali doubled down on the need for a dual strategy combining kinetic force with non-kinetic solutions to truly tackle insecurity.
He raised concerns about the stigma and false information that continue to obstruct efforts at reintegration and social cohesion.
Ali also noted that the programme has been active for almost ten years, backed by UN agencies, state governments, traditional leaders, and religious groups.