5,000 repentant Boko Haram fighters reunited with families – FG

The National Counter Terrorism Centre, Office of the National Security Advisor, says at least 5,000 repented Boko Haram fighters have been reunited with their families.

It says none of the ex-combatants returned to the battle ground after six months of the deradicalisation programme. 

Amb. Mairo Musa Abbas, Head of Preventing and Countering Violent Extremism (PCVE), stated this at the second-day session of the Lake Chad Basin Governors’ Forum.

She said deradicalization, rehabilitation and reintegration programme for ex-Boko Haram fighters, known as Operation Safe Corridor, had reintegrated over 5,000 repented Boko Haram into the society.

“Under Operation Safe Corridor programme, we have deradicalised over 5,000 ex-combatants of Boko Haram and reunited them with their families,” she said. 

“They are using the skills they have acquired in the six months of deradicalisation programme in the camp, to sustain themselves within the communities.

“Our collaborators from the National Orientation Agency (NOA) are within 774 local governments in Nigeria and traditional & religious leaders within the community they have monitoring mechanism where are able to monitor this mechanism and see their progress after the reintegration within the community.”

 “Borno Model” a state-led strategy, which aimed at reintegrating individuals who left extremist groups like Boko Haram, had complemented the efforts of the federal government to promote peace in the country.

“We always said ‘Borno Model’ is a model of necessity but we have recorded a lot of success with the Model because many repented fighters, have been reunited with families.”

She, however, called on the governors in the Lake Chad region and stakeholders to harmonise their strategy to ensure that they work on the same level.