Former Chief of Defence Staff, General Lucky Irabor, has dismissed claims that repentant Boko Haram members have been recruited into the Nigerian military. Speaking during an interview on Channels Television’s Politics Today on Monday, Irabor said such rumours have no basis in reality.

The retired military chief explained that the recruitment structure of the Nigerian armed forces makes it “almost impossible” for just anyone—let alone former insurgents—to gain entry.

Irabor, who previously 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, said his extensive experience gives him firsthand knowledge of how the system works.

Operation Safe Corridor Often Misunderstood

Addressing widespread misconceptions, Irabor clarified that Operation Safe Corridor—a deradicalisation and rehabilitation program for repentant militants—is not designed to integrate former Boko Haram fighters into the armed forces.

He stressed that the programme caters only to low-risk individuals, such as those who were conscripted or unintentionally drawn into terrorist activities. These individuals are profiled, deradicalised, trained in vocational skills, and reintegrated into society — similar to processes used in correctional institutions — but never absorbed into the military.

Strict Military Recruitment Procedures

Irabor emphasised that military recruitment involves multiple layers of verification:

Biometric data capture

Background checks

Scrutiny by state-level recruitment officers

Confirmation from local government authorities

With these safeguards in place, he insisted there is no pathway for a former insurgent to secretly infiltrate the Nigerian armed forces.

“How can they be? That doesn’t exist,” he said.
“Their biometrics are taken, their records are there, and recruitment officers in every state scrutinise applicants. Structurally, it is impossible.”

Irabor added that no individual can even be considered for enlistment without formal approval from their local government of origin.

Dismisses Claims as Pure Misinformation

The former CDS expressed frustration over how easily misinformation spreads, saying he cannot understand how such claims gained public attention in the first place.

He reiterated that the military maintains strict standards and procedures that make infiltration by ex-insurgents unthinkable and impossible.