Nigeria’s Approach to Deradicalizing Ex-Boko Haram Combatants

OPSC will live beyond the war being waged against Boko Haram. But such a programme to reintegrate former insurgents must also acknowledge the victims and communities most affected by the insurgency.

Written by Dr Olajumoke (Jumo) Ayandele

Jan 27, 2020

Most victims of insurgency, including some of the men in this group portrait, were dissatisfied with an amnesty proposal by the Nigerian government towards repentant members of Boko Haram. IMMANUEL AFOLABI

In November 2019, more than 500 former Boko Haram members surrendered to the Nigerian military, embracing the recently established amnesty programme of the Nigerian government under its Operation Safe Corridor programme. But Operation Safe Corridor—designed to de-radicalize, rehabilitate, and reintegrate surrendered insurgents—has continued to receive a lot of criticism from the Nigerian public. Many Boko Haram victims as well as members of the Civilian Joint Task Force, who have been instrumental in providing the Nigerian military with the much-needed knowledge of the local terrain in combatting the group, accuse former combatants of wanting to recycle themselves back into society, acting as a Trojan horse for Boko Haram. Certain factions in southern Nigeria have also alleged that the programme is a ploy to integrate former members into the military, only for them to be deployed to southern Nigeria in an effort to increase the number of northern soldiers ahead of the upcoming 2023 elections.

Considering Nigeria’s past history of military interference in the country’s state affairs, and the failure of past amnesty programmes like the 2009 Niger-Delta amnesty programme in reducing insecurity and violence in the state, these claims are not farfetched. Still, the government’s choice to employ strategies that deviate from a solely military response in countering Boko Haram suggests new flexibility and training of the Nigerian military in coping with the complexities of Boko Haram.

Boko Haram has continued to pose a threat to Nigeria, with the group emerging as one of the most active terrorist groups in Africa since its establishment in 2009. The movement’s insurgency has led to the loss of more than 27,000 lives, the displacement of 1.8 million people, and has negatively affected the livelihoods of an additional 7.1 million people as agricultural activities in the North East—the seat of Boko Haram’s insurgency—remain restricted due to security concerns and large-scale population displacement.

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About the Author

Dr Olajumoke (Jumo) Ayandele

is a visiting assistant professor of practice at New York University’s Center for Global Affairs and a Public Voices Fellow. Her research focuses on African security issues, governance and international relations.

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Nigeria’s Approach to Deradicalizing Ex-Boko Haram Combatants