Pushback in Nigeria over ex-Boko Haram fighter reintegration

Communities in Nigeria's northeast, particularly in Borno state, are grappling with a difficult question: Can those who once took up arms against them truly return — and be accepted?

Nigerian officials hope to reintegrate more than 700 former Boko Haram fighters into civilian life under its deradicalization program, Operation Safe Corridor. Authorities say the initiative is key to ending a decade-long conflict. But in communities that have borne the brunt of extremist violence, the policy is reopening wounds that have yet to heal.

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The program has been running for years, but each new wave of reintegration continues to spark debate.

What is Nigeria's Operation Safe Corridor?

Operation Safe Corridor, launched in 2016, is Nigeria's deradicalization program for former Boko Haram fighters who surrender to the military.

Authorities say it is aimed at encouraging defections and reducing recruitment. Participants undergo screening, deradicalization, psychological counselling and vocational training before being cleared for reintegration.

Over 2,000 individuals have passed through the initiative, according to Nigerian authorities. Officials say only those assessed as "low risk" are released back into society.

Usman Tar, former commissioner for information and internal security in Borno state, which this year saw renewed a violence, told local media: "When they return, there is a screening by the Department of State Services and they're screened by the community leaders."

Authorities say the scheme is working.

"We did not receive any negative report from anybody from any one of them," Retired General Abdullahi Sabi Ishaq, special assistant on security to the Borno state government, told local media.

"They were accepted by the community, and we hope this one will also be accepted."

Concerns for violence-weary Nigerian communities

But on the ground, acceptance is far from guaranteed.

In Borno state, some residents like Muhammad Sharif told DW the idea of living alongside former fighters is very unsettling. He suggests former fighters should be relocated away from communities they once attacked and describes the arrangement as "improper."

"If you forgive somebody and you want to integrate him, take him to another local government where the offended people will not see that person at their midst. They will not bring us peace," he told DW.

Abraham Philip said communities are still dealing from trauma, even as the government pushes ahead with the program.

"Yes, peace is taking place also but destruction is also taking place," he told DW,  referencing recent attacks, including the Monday Market, the post office and the University of Maiduguri Teaching Hospital (UMTH) bomb blast in Maiduguri.

Philip says communities have questions for the government, because "a lot of things have been happening. There are some people saying these are the results of the reintegration that has been taking place."

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Others say the issue is not just about reintegration — but whether former fighters have truly changed. For Maiduguri resident Usman Abubakar, the distinction between theory and reality is key.

"In principle, it is a very good idea," he said.

But he adds: "We have had instances where repentant Boko Haram threatened to go back to the bushes when the promises the state government made to them were not fulfilled. That is why I don't want to call them repentant. I want to call them surrendered because you cannot see their mind."

Some Nigerians outside the conflict-affected northeast also remain divided. In Abuja, civil servant Hauwa Ajeje told DW: "It's going to be a vicious cycle. We'll be recycling the same individuals." 

Raphael Ogbaji, a student at the University of Abuja, had a more optimistic take: "If they have chosen the path of peace and the path of repentance, why not give them the benefit of the doubt? Every human being can change."

Nigerians debate over justice for Boko Haram survivors

Lawyer Ahmed Abubakar told DW reintegration raises serious questions about justice for victims.

"Those that have been affected negatively by the activities of these terrorists, they need restitution," he said, questioning why former fighters are being rehabilitated while many victims are still displaced.

"Some of the victims are still staying in Internally Displaced People's camps. Some have lost their homes and are not getting any form of justice," he said. 

While Abubaker acknowledges that international law allows reintegration, he says state authorities have not been clear about who is being reintegrated or their level of involvement in extremist violence.

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