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The Borno State Government has insisted that fears of repentant terrorists returning to insurgency after rehabilitation are largely unfounded.
Officials said a key element of the reintegration process under the state’s deradicalisation framework involves participants swearing an oath using the Quran, which they believe discourages them from returning to violence.
The Commissioner for Women Affairs and Social Development, Zuwaira Gambo, explained this during an interview with News Central TV aired on Monday. She said the oath carries serious consequences for anyone who violates it.
“When they come to us through all the processes of the Borno model, the last thing they do is take an oath with the Quran. Once you swear by the Quran, you know the implication,” she said.
Gambo added that those who surrender are often seen as traitors by extremist groups, making a return to insurgency extremely dangerous.
“People assume that they will go back to the bush; well, they may, but they are dead on arrival. It is not about whether we trust them or not. The law of the jungle takes care of that. The moment you surrender to constituted authority, you become an infidel,” she said.
She, however, noted that funding remains a major challenge affecting the programme’s smooth running.
“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 access to education,” she said.
The comments come during renewed public debate over the Nigerian Government’s Operation Safe Corridor, which recently graduated 744 former insurgents for reintegration.
The development has triggered criticism from legal and human rights stakeholders, including the President of the Nigerian Bar Association, Afam Osigwe, who questioned the process’s transparency and its impact on victims.
Similarly, Isa Sanusi of Amnesty International warned that while reintegration is supported under international law, Nigeria must improve transparency and accountability in the programme.
