Over 8,000 ex-Boko Haram members, families reintegrated — Borno Government

The Borno State Government says it has reintegrated about 8,000 former Boko Haram insurgents and their families into society as part of its ongoing de-radicalisation and rehabilitation programme.

 

The Commissioner for Women Affairs and Social Development, Zuwaira Gambo, disclosed this in Maiduguri on Saturday, noting that the initiative has recorded about 75 per cent progress under Governor Babagana Zulum’s administration.

 

Gambo said the reintegration effort has become a major pillar of the state’s post-conflict recovery strategy, especially as large numbers of insurgents and their dependents have surrendered over time.

 

According to her, many of those received were not combatants but individuals who played support roles within insurgent structures.

 

She explained that the programme has also dealt with a high number of women and children, many of whom arrived in rehabilitation centres with trauma, health challenges, and limited exposure to formal society.

 

“These are women coming out with trauma, gender-based violence experiences, and psychosocial challenges,” she said.

 

Gambo added that some of the children had never lived in structured communities or experienced basic modern systems before their arrival at rehabilitation facilities.

 

She said the state government responded by setting up temporary learning centres, healthcare services, psychosocial support systems, and skills acquisition programmes to aid reintegration.

 

The commissioner also stated that the programme is designed to promote long-term stability and reduce the risk of renewed conflict, stressing that reintegration is part of broader peace-building efforts in the North-East.

 

She dismissed concerns that rehabilitated individuals were returning to insurgent groups, arguing that many of those who surrendered are often rejected by the same networks they left behind.

 

The Borno State Government maintains that the initiative remains critical to restoring peace and rebuilding communities affected by years of insurgency.