720 repentant terrorists return to Borno communities after rehabilitation

Seven hundred and twenty former insurgents, alongside 992 spouses and 2,050 children, have returned to their communities in Borno State after completing rehabilitation and skills training programmes under the state’s non-kinetic approach to counter-insurgency.

The beneficiaries, classified as Batch Nine low-risk clients, were reintegrated during a ceremony held on Friday at the Hajj Camp in Maiduguri.

Special Adviser to Governor Babagana Zulum on Security and member of the Deradicalisation, Rehabilitation and Reintegration Committee, Brigadier-General Abdullahi Ishaq (retd), said the returnees had surrendered to troops and passed through disarmament, rehabilitation and vocational training before their release.

“A total of 720 men, 992 spouses and 2,050 children who had repented and surrendered to troops are to be reintegrated after many of them were deradicalised, disarmed and rehabilitated at the Hajj Camp in Maiduguri and acquired various skills,” he said.

Ishaq said many of those who left the insurgents’ camps did so after receiving calls from former colleagues who had earlier embraced peace.

He explained that the returnees were first profiled by the military before being moved to the Hajj Camp, where they received religious teachings and training in trades such as carpentry, tailoring, metalwork, phone repairs, solar installation and motorcycle repairs.

Their spouses, he said, were trained in catering, knitting, tailoring and soap-making, while the state government provided starter packs to support their livelihoods.

He disclosed that 8,960 former insurgents had been reintegrated under the first eight batches, bringing the total number to 9,680.

Ishaq said community leaders and members of the Civilian Joint Task Force screened the beneficiaries before recommending them for reintegration, and urged them to obey the law and contribute to the development of their communities.

Earlier, Commissioner for Women Affairs and Social Development, Hajiya Zuwaira Gambo, represented by the Permanent Secretary, Babagana Kadai, said the programme reflected the state’s efforts to restore peace and rebuild lives affected by the insurgency.

He said the ministry had continued to provide psychosocial support, family reunification services, child protection, and vocational training for women, children and other vulnerable persons.

Representatives of security agencies and religious leaders also urged the returnees to live peacefully and respect constituted authorities.

Speaking on behalf of previously reintegrated ex-combatants, Idris Abdulkadir, Ali Kaka, and Ibrahim Mohammed thanked the government and their communities for accepting them.

They said they had settled peacefully and were contributing to the socio-economic development of the state.