Former Chief of Defence Staff, Gen. Lucky Irabor (retd.), has dismissed widespread claims that repentant Boko Haram members are being recruited into the Nigerian Armed Forces.
Speaking on Channels Television’s Politics Today on Monday, Irabor described the allegations as impossible under the military’s recruitment structure.
“It has always been a burden for me where we got this impression from. How can they be recruited? This does not exist,” he said.
Irabor, who has served as Theatre Commander of Operation Lafiya Dole, Force Commander of the Multinational Joint Task Force, Chief of Defence Training and Operations, and later Chief of Defence Staff, argued that his experience makes the allegation illogical. “How could it be? Where people got that impression, I cannot tell,” he added.
He explained that even basic enlistment into the armed forces requires strict vetting, including clearance from applicants’ local governments—a process he said makes it impossible for former terrorists to gain entry.
“It is impossible. Besides, you can’t come into the military if those in your local government have not sanctioned you,” he stressed.
Irabor clarified that Operation Safe Corridor, a Federal Government initiative, is responsible for deradicalising and reintegrating low-risk Boko Haram defectors into civilian life, not the military.
While acknowledging gaps in the broader fight against insecurity, he rejected suggestions that security agencies are to blame, noting that manpower, equipment, and a deeper understanding of evolving security threats are key to strengthening counterinsurgency efforts.
The Federal Government has expanded Operation Safe Corridor in recent years to manage low-risk ex-fighters who voluntarily surrender.
