Benue govt clears air on proposed bandits rehabilitation centre

The Benue State Government has refuted claims trailing the proposed rehabilitation centre in the state, describing the narratives as “mischievous misrepresentations.”

It explained that the facility is intended to rehabilitate victims who were coerced into criminal gangs, not to reform hardened terrorists.

The Director-General of the Benue State Peace and Reconciliation Commission, Josephine Habba, made the clarification on Monday while responding to mounting concerns over plans to establish a Disarmament, Demobilisation and Reintegration (DDR) Centre.

She stressed that the initiative should be viewed against the backdrop of the state’s prolonged security crisis.

Habba noted that Benue had, at some point, almost turned into a conflict zone, underscoring the urgency of addressing insecurity at its roots. She said public discourse often reduces the crisis to clashes between herders and farmers, whereas the situation is far more complex.

“There is confusion around conflict in Benue State. When you mention conflict, the big elephant people think about is the herder and farmer conflict. But that does not address the root causes of insecurity in the state.”

She drew attention to the Sankera axis Katsina-Ala, Ukum and Logo Local Government Areas which has suffered persistent banditry and other violent crimes.

“We all know the story of Sankera. The conflicts in that area are not a complete representation of farmers’ and herders’ conflicts. These are our children, young people drawn or forced into banditry.”

Habba recalled that in early 2024, Governor Hyacinth Alia visited Katsina-Ala after alarming revelations were made during a meeting with the Catholic Diocese of Katsina-Ala.

“At that meeting, it was revealed that many of our children were abducted from markets, homes, and even while riding their motorcycles. They were taken into the creeks to work for criminal gangs.”

According to her, the abducted youths were used as foot soldiers and assigned dangerous tasks for criminal elements hiding in forest enclaves.

“They were often used as foot soldiers or compelled to carry out dangerous errands for those hiding deep within forest enclaves.

They were made to do the dirty jobs for those who could not risk coming out. Sometimes women, including pregnant women, were also taken to serve as cooks or errand runners.”

Following a detailed profiling exercise conducted by the commission in collaboration with other stakeholders, more than 1,800 persons were initially identified as individuals affected by forced involvement in banditry.

“These were the categories of persons presented to the Governor. They are not the total criminals in the state, but people whose circumstances required careful evaluation.”

Habba explained that Governor Alia subsequently adopted what she termed a “carrot approach,” offering amnesty to those genuinely repentant and without prior criminal history.

A special committee was then constituted to carry out discreet background and shadow checks.

“You cannot simply conduct open assessments in such situations, and we had to verify their histories carefully.

From the exercise, the commission identified more than 1,170 individuals who reportedly had no prior criminal records before being recruited. Our goal is to break the chain of recruitment into criminality.

If those hiding in the bush have no foot soldiers, their operations will collapse, and our lives will be better.”

She further revealed that ongoing engagements have seen over 400 individuals signal readiness to renounce criminality.

“They said they wanted to return to their communities for farming. But we insisted they could not just go back like that because community members might still see them as criminals, and their mindset needed correction.

We must first deconstruct what they have been through and then reconstruct them into productive members of our society.”

Habba emphasised that DDR is an internationally recognised framework implemented by the military and supported by the United Nations, noting that some states with comparatively lower levels of insecurity already operate similar facilities.

She disclosed that the centre will be sited in Anyiin, Logo LGA, reiterating that it is not meant for Boko Haram insurgents or foreign militants, “but our children who were taken into the creeks. The misrepresentation is unfair.”

According to her, activating the facility is expected to boost international partnerships, strengthen security presence, and equip beneficiaries with start-up kits upon completion of the programme. By then, they would have been demobilised and fully rehabilitated.

Habba also announced that a comprehensive peace framework will be unveiled at a peace summit scheduled for February 25, 2026.

She explained that the framework combines rehabilitation with community resilience initiatives, psychosocial support, restoration of livelihoods, and the rebuilding of essential infrastructure such as schools and hospitals.

“We will ensure that these people graduate and are given certificates. The programme will run for 6 months to one year.

While they are there, the committee will engage in community resilience, identify the livelihoods that were destroyed and restore them, compensate where needed, and ensure that schools and hospitals are rebuilt.

“We want seamless reintegration, not just for those leaving the bush, but for communities that have suffered trauma and destruction.”