The Borno State Government has welcomed back 720 former Boko Haram fighters into their communities after they finished a rehabilitation and deradicalisation programme.
This move brings the total number of ex-insurgents involved in the programme to nearly 10,000, officials announced on Friday.
The fighters were reintegrated alongside 992 women and 2,050 children after going through rehabilitation at the Hajj Camp in Maiduguri. This camp profiles, deradicalises, and trains surrendered insurgents in various vocational skills before they return to society.
At the reintegration ceremony on Friday, Abdullahi Ishaq, the Special Adviser to Governor Babagana Zulum on Security and a retired brigadier general, said the beneficiaries had voluntarily surrendered to military forces at different times during counter-insurgency operations in the North-east.
“Today, the Borno Model is seen as one of the most effective non-violent programmes, with over 350,000 people who willingly left the bush and surrendered to the military,” Mr Ishaq said.
He noted, “A total of 720 men, 992 spouses, and 2,050 children who had repented and surrendered to the troops are to be reintegrated after many of them were deradicalised, disarmed, and rehabilitated at the Hajj Camp in Maiduguri, acquiring various skills through skills acquisition programmes.”
Mr Ishaq said many former insurgents were encouraged to surrender by friends who had already left the camps and successfully reunited with their families and communities.
“Their return from the bush started with a call from their colleagues, urging them to surrender, embrace peace, and go back to their parents,” he explained.
He mentioned that this group of beneficiaries is the ninth batch under the state's reintegration programme.
According to him, 8,960 former insurgents were reintegrated in the first eight batches, making the total number 9,680 after Friday’s exercise.
“The people you see here were disarmed, demobilised, thoroughly deradicalised, and rehabilitated,” he added.
The beneficiaries come from various local government areas affected by the insurgency, including Bama, Konduga, Maiduguri Metropolitan Council, Jere, Mafa, Dikwa, Gwoza, Damboa, Marte, Monguno, Kukawa, Ngala, Kala-Balge, and Gubio.
Mr Ishaq stated that community leaders, members of the Civilian Joint Task Force (CJTF), and local hunters took part in screening the former fighters before they were recommended for reintegration.
He also mentioned that the state government provided starter packs to the beneficiaries and their spouses to help them after leaving the camp.
Before their reintegration, the former insurgents allegedly swore on the Quran not to return to any insurgent activities.
According to Mr Ishaq, those who left insurgent camps usually reported to the nearest military post, where they underwent initial profiling and surrendered any weapons they had.
He explained that those accepted into the programme were then taken to the Hajj Camp in Maiduguri for documentation, rehabilitation, and deradicalisation.
“Sadly, some who left their camps could not reach a military location before they were caught and killed,” he said.
For years, Borno State has used both military and non-military methods to tackle the Boko Haram insurgency. This has caused destruction in communities across Nigeria's North-east, leading to thousands of deaths and millions displaced.
The reintegration programme is part of the state's wider deradicalisation plan aimed at encouraging defections from insurgent groups and supporting long-term stability efforts.
But this policy has faced criticism, as some victims of insurgent violence and affected communities are worried about the return of former fighters to civilian areas.
State officials have always defended the programme, saying it works hand-in-hand with military operations by providing options for insurgents who want to stop violence and reintegrate into society.
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