Nigeria launches new procedures for repentant terrorists, but serious crimes still prosecutable

The Federal Government of Nigeria unveiled new Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) on Monday in Abuja for its Disarmament, Demobilisation and Reintegration (DDR) programme for repentant terrorists. National Coordinator of the National Counter Terrorism Centre (NCTC), Adamu Laka, said military operations alone cannot bring peace, and the DDR is part of non-military strategy. Director of Preventing and Countering Violent Extremism, Abimbola Wońosikou, clarified that those accused of serious crimes will still face prosecution. State-level DDR committees have been established in Kaduna, Katsina and Zamfara.