The National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) has presented food and non-food items to the military for Operation Safe Corridor Programme meant to de-radicalise, rehabilitate and re-integrate 800 repented and surrendered Boko Haram insurgents to fast track peace process in the North East.

Presenting the items in Gombe, the Director General of NEMA, Muhammad Sani Sidi, said: “The initiative, which is in line with international best practices allowed those engaged in the fighting to voluntarily surrender and embrace peace so that they undergo rehabilitation.’’ He said NEMA would play its role in the programme by providing regular support of food and non-food items for their up-keep.

Items to be released for this purpose every three months include; 410 bags of rice, 400 bags of beans, 200 bags of millet, 200 bags of sorghum, 750 cartons of spaghetti, 50 cartons of Maggi cubes and 810 cartons of tomato paste. Others are 101 vegetable oil in 20-litre kegs, 101 palm oil in 20-litre kegs, 50 bags of salt, 100 bags of sugar, 420 cartons of milk and 420 cartons of Milo drink.

The non food items include; 800 pieces of mattress, 500 pieces of blanket, 500 pieces of nylon mats, 1,000 plastic buckets, 1000 plastic spoons, 1000 plastic cups 1000, plastics plates, 1000 plastic pairs of slippers, 2000 men’s wear, 63 cartons of bath soap and 1000 bath towels.

Receiving the items, the Coordinator of Operation Safe Corridor, Brigadier-General BM Shafa said the initiative was designed to de-radicalise, rehabilitate and re-integrate willing and repented Boko Haram insurgents who have come out to surrender to the military and believing that it would quicken the peace process in the North East. “Between September last year and February this year a good number of Boko Haram fighters have come out to surrender,” he added.

He thanked the Gombe State Government for providing the location and giving them all the necessary support.

About 11 agencies of Federal Government are directly involved in the Operation Safe Corridor programme.

•Photo shows NEMA DG Sani Sidi.

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