The Benue State Government has approached the Federal Government for approval to establish a Disarmament, Demobilisation, and Reintegration (DDR) centre aimed at rehabilitating repentant local bandits.
Josephine Habba, Director-General of the Commission for Peace and Reconciliation, disclosed this on Monday during a briefing with journalists in Makurdi.
She explained that the initiative seeks to reintegrate individuals who were coerced into serving as foot soldiers for armed groups, including women and pregnant women who were not originally criminals.
“These persons are not necessarily criminals but were taken in to do dirty jobs for those in the forest,” Habba said.
“Even pregnant women were abducted and turned into cooks. Our biometric survey identified over 1,800 people, but 400 have expressed willingness to undergo rehabilitation.”
The proposed DDR centre, part of a military programme certified by the United Nations, is intended to attract international attention to Benue and support the peaceful reintegration of participants into their communities.
Habba said the programme would last six months to a year, during which time the committee will engage in community resilience projects, restore destroyed livelihoods, compensate affected families, and rebuild schools and hospitals.
She added that the state government made a formal request to the Chief of Defence Staff, General Olufemi Oluyede, with the support of local leaders including the Bishop of Katsina-Ala Diocese, Bishop Isaac Dugu.
A committee of military officials, including Brigadier-Generals and Major-Generals, has already begun assessing the proposed facility.
The centre is expected to be located in Logo Local Government Area, with the project projected to cost millions of naira.
Habba emphasized that the commission, operational since 2023 following repeated attacks on communities in Benue, is working to create mechanisms to prevent recurring conflicts in the state.
