Nigeria Reintegrates Over 5,000 Former Boko Haram Fighters

The National Counter Terrorism Centre under the Office of the National Security Advisor has announced that at least 5,000 former Boko Haram militants who have repented have been successfully reunited with their families.

Speaking at the Lake Chad Basin Governors’ Forum, Amb. Mairo Musa Abbas, Head of Preventing and Countering Violent Extremism (PCVE), confirmed that the former fighters underwent six months of deradicalisation through Operation Safe Corridor—a federal government initiative aimed at rehabilitating and reintegrating former insurgents.

According to Abbas: “Under Operation Safe Corridor, we have deradicalised over 5,000 ex-combatants of Boko Haram and reunited them with their families.”

She further stated that the ex-fighters are using the skills they acquired during the program to sustain themselves within their communities.

The National Orientation Agency (NOA), in collaboration with traditional and religious leaders, has deployed a monitoring system across Nigeria’s 774 local government areas to track the reintegration process and ensure the former fighters remain peaceful members of society.

The federal government's deradicalisation efforts are being complemented by state-led initiatives, particularly the "Borno Model", which focuses on reintegrating defectors from extremist groups.

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

She urged stakeholders and governors within the Lake Chad region to align their approaches, ensuring that deradicalisation and reintegration efforts remain consistent and effective across borders.