FG Reunites 5,000 Repentant Boko Haram Fighters With Families

FG Reunites 5,000 Repentant Boko Haram Fighters With Families
FG says no rehabilitated individuals have returned to terrorism.
Borno Model credited with aiding reintegration efforts.

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EKO HOT BLOG reports that the National Counter Terrorism Centre, under the Office of the National Security Adviser (ONSA), has disclosed that over 5,000 former Boko Haram fighters have been successfully rehabilitated and reunited with their families.

Ambassador Mairo Musa Abbas, the head of the Preventing and Countering Violent Extremism (PCVE) initiative, made the announcement during the Lake Chad Basin Governors’ Forum. She stated that none of the reintegrated individuals had returned to the battlefield after undergoing a six-month deradicalization program under Operation Safe Corridor.

Speaking on the panel discussion titled “Managing Boko Haram Exits and Demobilization of Armed Groups,” Abbas emphasized the importance of a coordinated regional approach to addressing insurgency and extremism.

“Through Operation Safe Corridor, over 5,000 ex-Boko Haram combatants have been deradicalized, rehabilitated, and successfully reintegrated with their families,” she said.

She noted that the ex-fighters had acquired various vocational skills during their time in the program, enabling them to sustain themselves within their communities.

“Our collaborators from the National Orientation Agency (NOA) are present in all 774 local government areas in Nigeria, alongside traditional and religious leaders, to monitor and support the progress of these individuals post-reintegration,” Abbas added.

She also highlighted the success of the Borno Model, a state-led initiative that complements the federal government’s reintegration efforts. The model has helped facilitate the peaceful return of many former insurgents into their communities.

However, she called on governors in the Lake Chad region to synchronize their strategies to ensure a unified approach to countering violent extremism and preventing recidivism.