Nigeria, Feb. 23 -- The Benue State Government has formally sought Federal Government approval to establish a Disarmament, Demobilisation and Reintegration (DDR) centre to rehabilitate over 400 repentant local bandits in the state.

The Director-General of the Commission for Peace and Reconciliation, Josephine Habba, disclosed this on Monday while speaking with journalists in Makurdi. She said the request was presented to the Chief of Defence Staff, Olufemi Oluyede, seeking approval to create a DDR centre specifically for bandits of Benue origin.

Habba explained that biometric data conducted by the state identified over 1,800 individuals linked to banditry activities, including abducted women forced into servitude. However, she noted tha...