State-funded Rehab, Flimsy Promises, Put Displaced Victims at Risk
By Suleman Ayuba
MAIDUGURI, Nigeria — What was marketed by state officials as a peaceful gateway out of a decade-long bloody jihad is rapidly deteriorating into a serious security concern.
In the strategic border town of Banki, some “repentant” Boko Haram members rehabilitated under the Borno State Government’s deradicalization initiative have absconded back to terror camps, allegedly taking arms, ammunition and military supplies from security outposts, according to locals.
Alhaji Mustapha Sani, a local Muslim cleric familiar with the rehabilitation process, told TruthNigeria that residents remain deeply skeptical about whether all those processed through the program have genuinely abandoned insurgency. “We never believed they had repented. The only repented terrorists are dead ones,” he said.
Reports circulating on September 28 said four rehabilitated former insurgents had returned to terror camps. Security commentator Ezechukwu Okonkwo, widely known as English Alhaji, also discussed the allegations in video footage, saying some former insurgents were issued military-style uniforms that could make them appear to be soldiers.
For displaced communities across the Lake Chad Basin, the allegations deepen concerns about whether government resources are being distributed fairly between former insurgents and victims of the conflict. Joseph Shawulu, a survivor who fled Banki after insurgent raids and now lives as an internally displaced person in Maiduguri, told TruthNigeria that victims receive far less assistance.
“Victims have no opportunity to get rehabilitated. We are suffering, while only terrorists benefit from government packages,” Shawulu said. “This is a total travesty of justice.”
Billions Spent, Displaced Victims Ignored
The Borno State Government, under Governor Babagana Umara Zulum, has invested substantial public resources in processing, feeding, housing and reintegrating people who surrendered after participating in the insurgency. Official claims cited in public reporting have put the number of surrendered fighters and family members processed through state-managed facilities, including the Hajj Camp in Maiduguri, at more than 160,000. Participants have reportedly received stipends, vocational training and starter packages.
To reassure a skeptical public, Governor Zulum and state security officials have emphasized the use of Quranic oaths as part of the reintegration process. Officials, including Commissioner for Women Affairs and Social Development Zuwaira Gambo, have publicly argued that a Muslim former terrorist who swears an oath on the Quran would not subsequently return to killing civilians.
Guardian report on Quranic oaths
Civil society and humanitarian actors, however, continue to debate the ethics, effectiveness and security implications of the policy. The Peace Ambassador Centre for Humanitarian and Empowerment (PACHE), led by Amb. Ahmed Shehu, has campaigned in Borno for communities to forgive and accept surrendered fighters as part of efforts toward peaceful coexistence.
Community leaders representing victims have expressed a different view. Gavvs Katiya, Chairman of the Gwoza Refugees Resettlement Initiative, described the rehabilitation programme to TruthNigeria as a misplaced priority that risks rewarding perpetrators while neglecting those they harmed.
“Rehabilitation is a misplaced priority executed at the detriment of victims,” Katiya said. “The terrorists are just buying time, not repenting. They are using these government programs to rest, rearm, and return to killings.”
A Flawed Strategy Fueled by Survival, Not Repentance
Security analysts and counter-insurgency observers in the Lake Chad region have previously cautioned against treating mass surrenders as automatic evidence of ideological transformation. Analyst Zagazola Makama has argued that some fighters may surrender because of military pressure, shortages of food and logistics, or internal factional conflict, rather than because they have abandoned the ideology that drove their participation in violence.
That distinction is critical for any rehabilitation programme: surrender, screening, deradicalization and reintegration are different stages, and the security risks associated with each require verification and monitoring.
A Sharp Divide in Policy Priorities
For displaced victims, however, the picture is markedly different. Internally displaced civilians continue to report shortages of food, shelter, water and basic healthcare, raising questions about whether public resources are being distributed in a way that adequately addresses the needs of those who suffered the insurgency.
Under the deradicalization and reintegration initiative, surrendered Boko Haram and ISWAP combatants and their families are reported to receive food, accommodation, stipends, vocational training and starter packages before release.
Humanitarian Pressure on Displaced Communities
While former insurgents may receive state-supported reintegration assistance, displaced communities continue to face serious humanitarian needs. Reporting by HumAngle has documented shortages affecting internally displaced people, including food and water scarcity.
A Gathering Storm Along the Border
The reported return of rehabilitated fighters to active battlefields would pose a serious security concern if confirmed. Inspector Supol Ghaida G Emthe told TruthNigeria that individuals who passed through rehabilitation facilities could potentially gain knowledge of military formations, perimeter arrangements and weaknesses in local defenses before absconding.
If weapons or tactical equipment were removed from security facilities by people undergoing rehabilitation, that would raise questions about screening, supervision, inventory controls and post-release monitoring. Such allegations require prompt investigation and independent verification by the relevant security authorities.
For communities asked to accept former insurgents in the name of reconciliation, the central question is whether reintegration is being matched by adequate safeguards and comparable assistance for victims. Gavvs Katiya told TruthNigeria that continued prioritization of surrendered insurgents over victims risks perpetuating a cycle in which public resources are spent without sufficiently protecting the people who suffered the original violence.
Suleman Ayuba is a Conflict Reporter for TruthNigeria
