Benue seeks FG’s approval to rehabilitate ‘400 repentant bandits’

The Benue state government says it is seeking the approvalof the federal government to set up a disarmament, demobilisation andreintegration (DDR) centre to rehabilitate “repentant bandits”. Josephine Habba, director-general of the commission forpeace and reconciliation, told journalists in Makurdi, the state capital, thatthe centre is designed to rehabilitate individuals who, by circumstance, becamefoot soldiers for bandits. She said the state has formally requested Olufemi Oluyede,chief of defence staff, to approve the establishment of the DDR centrespecifically for bandits of Benue origin. Habba noted that the DDR centre is a military programmecertified and funded by the United Nations, adding that its creation wouldattract international attention to the state. She noted that operationalising the centre would alsoincrease troop deployment in Benue. “These persons are not necessarily criminals but were takenin to do dirty jobs for those in the forest because they know that if they(local bandits) come out, they would be recognised, so they needed footsoldiers,” Punch quoted Habba as saying. “Even pregnant women were abducted and turned into theircooks. The number of people from the biometrics we have done is over 1,800, but400 are willing to be rehabilitated.” Habba said the commission has developed a plan to beunveiled at a peace summit on Wednesday, February 25, 2026, which “captureseverything and ensures that these people graduate and are given certificates”. “The programme will run for six months to one year. Whilethey are there, the committee will engage in community resilience, identifylivelihoods that were destroyed, restore them, compensate where needed, andensure schools and hospitals are rebuilt for a seamless reintegration of thesepeople into their families,” she said. Habba said the proposed centre is expected to be located inLogo LGA, adding that the project would cost “millions of naira”. Benue state has witnessed several incidents of farmer-herderclashes and kidnapping-for-ransom crisis, resulting in many deaths anddisplacement of residents.

Read More