The Borno State Government has defended its rehabilitation programme for former terrorists, revealing that repentant insurgents are required to swear an oath on the Quran as a final condition before being reintegrated into society.
The Commissioner for Women Affairs and Social Development, Zuwaira Gambo, said the oath-taking process forms a central element of the Borno model for deradicalisation and is designed to discourage ex-fighters from returning to violence.
“When they come to us through all the processes of the Borno model, the last thing they do is they take an oath with the Quran. Once you swear by the Quran, you know the implication,” she said.
Gambo also argued that insurgents who surrender to authorities face mortal danger if they attempt to return to armed groups, saying such individuals are regarded as traitors by the organisations they left.
“People assume that they will go back to the bush; well, they may, but they are dead on arrival. The moment you step out and surrender to constituted authority, you become an infidel,” she said.
The commissioner acknowledged that funding remains a significant constraint on the programme, noting the cost of providing food, clothing, education and rehabilitation support for large numbers of former combatants.
“The challenge, of course, has to do with funding, because you bring a lot of people on board, but how are you going to feed them, clothe them and provide them with access to education?” she said.
The remarks come amid public scrutiny of the Federal Government’s Operation Safe Corridor programme, which recently graduated 744 former terrorists for reintegration.
Most beneficiaries were from Borno State, with others drawn from Adamawa, Yobe, Kano and other states.
The programme has drawn criticism from civil society and legal circles over transparency and accountability.
Nigerian Bar Association President Afam Osigwe warned that reintegrating former terrorists without addressing victims’ grievances risked creating perceptions of injustice.
Amnesty International Nigeria Country Director Isa Sanusi called on the government to clearly disclose the identities and roles of programme participants to reassure communities affected by the insurgency.
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