Borno Defends Reintegration of Ex-Terrorists, Says Quran Oath Deters Return to Insurgency

The Borno State Government has defended its rehabilitation and reintegration programme for former insurgents, insisting that many of the repentant terrorists processed under the initiative are unlikely to return to violent extremism because of strict deradicalisation measures, including oaths sworn on the Quran.

The Commissioner for Women Affairs and Social Development, Zuwaira Gambo, made the clarification during an interview aired on News Central Television on Monday amid growing public concern over the reintegration of ex-fighters into communities devastated by insurgency.

Her comments come weeks after hundreds of former Boko Haram and ISWAP members graduated from the Federal Government’s De-radicalisation, Rehabilitation and Reintegration programme, popularly known as Operation Safe Corridor.

The programme, established as part of Nigeria’s counter-insurgency strategy in the North-East, is designed to encourage defectors from terrorist groups to surrender, undergo rehabilitation and eventually return to civilian life.

According to Gambo, the Borno model involves several stages of counselling, rehabilitation and community engagement before the final oath-taking process.

“When they come to us through all the processes of the Borno model, the last thing they do is they take an oath with the Quran. Once you swear by the Quran, you know the implication,” she said.

The commissioner argued that beyond government supervision, social and ideological consequences within extremist circles also discourage returnees from rejoining terrorist groups.

“People assume that they will go back to the bush; well, they may, but they are dead on arrival. The moment you step out and surrender to constituted authority, you become an infidel,” she stated.

Borno has remained the epicentre of Nigeria’s insurgency for over a decade, with communities across the state suffering attacks, displacement and destruction linked to Boko Haram and other armed extremist groups.

Thousands of fighters and their family members have surrendered in recent years following intensified military operations in the North-East and worsening internal divisions within insurgent factions.

However, the reintegration policy has continued to generate heated debate across the country, especially among victims of terrorism, civil society groups and legal experts who fear that inadequate monitoring could create fresh security risks.

In April, authorities confirmed the graduation of 744 former terrorists under Operation Safe Corridor. Of that number, 597 were from Borno State, while others came from Adamawa, Yobe, Kano and neighbouring states affected by insurgency.

The development triggered public outrage in some quarters, with critics questioning whether enough attention was being paid to justice for victims and long-term community safety.

President of the Nigerian Bar Association, Afam Osigwe, warned that reintegrating former insurgents without proper accountability could deepen the pain of affected communities.

He argued that communities that lost relatives, homes and livelihoods during years of attacks deserved transparency and justice alongside rehabilitation efforts.

Similarly, Amnesty International raised concerns over the lack of public information regarding the identities and past activities of some of the individuals processed through the programme.

The Country Director of Amnesty International Nigeria, Isa Sanusi, said the government must clearly explain the level of involvement of those being reintegrated, including whether they participated directly in killings or served in non-combat roles.

Despite the concerns, Borno officials maintain that rehabilitation remains necessary to weaken insurgent recruitment and encourage defections from armed groups.

Gambo, however, acknowledged that funding remains a major challenge affecting the programme’s sustainability.

According to her, providing shelter, food, education and vocational support for large numbers of rehabilitated individuals requires significant financial resources and long-term government commitment.

Security analysts say the success of reintegration efforts will ultimately depend on effective monitoring, community acceptance and broader economic opportunities capable of preventing former fighters from returning to violence.