I tore my NCE certificate because we were told that Western education was sin, now I regret doing so —Ex-Boko Haram female member

Fatima Musa, a former Boko Haram member who has undergone de-radicalisation, shared her experience at a community dialogue meeting organised recently by the Allamin Foundation for Peace and Development.

She admitted that, as young people with limited religious knowledge, they had been misled.

“We were deceived in our youth through a misinterpretation of religion, only to later realise that we had gone down the wrong path.

“I regret tearing up my NCE certificate when I foolishly embraced the distorted belief that Western education was Haram (forbidden),” Fatima said.

Hajiya Hamsatu Allamin, Head of the Allamin Foundation for Peace and Development, runs a private de-radicalisation project focusing on female members of the sect in the North East.

She explained that Islamic clerics involved in de-radicalisation counter extremist narratives through superior religious arguments.

As she pointed out, Boko Haram is an ideological group that has been misled by a distorted interpretation of the Holy Quran.

Therefore, well-versed clerics are essential in correcting these misconceptions by teaching the true principles of Islam as a religion of peace.

Allamin also highlighted that many women who voluntarily joined the sect but have since been de-radicalised through her foundation are now playing a crucial role in persuading others to surrender.

“Some of these women are responsible for calling their female friends, husbands, and children in the bush to convince them to surrender,” she said.

The ‘Borno Model’, introduced in 2021 by Gov. Babagana Zulum’s administration, is a non-kinetic approach that offers insurgents willing to renounce violence the opportunity to surrender to the military.

The model primarily relies on dialogue to persuade Boko Haram and ISWAP fighters to lay down their arms at designated reception centres and embrace peace.

“This is a community-driven initiative geared towards a win-win situation; both parties stand to gain from the model,” said Retired Brig.-Gen Abdullahi Ishaq, Special Adviser on Security to Gov. Zulum, during a presentation on the initiative.

On July 5, 2021, the first group of nine insurgents, accompanied by their 11 wives and 12 children, surrendered and were brought to Maiduguri.

This marked the beginning of a mass surrender, with over 100,000 individuals laying down their arms within a few months.

In an interview earlier this year, the Chief of Army Staff, Gen. Christopher Musa, stated that over 250,000 people had surrendered as a result of the non-kinetic approach.

Last week, Gov. Zulum briefed a Sahel security think tank, the Alliance of Sahel Institute for Security Studies, alongside members of the Norwegian Institute for Conflict Resolution.

He revealed that the number of surrendered individuals had exceeded 300,000.

However, it is important for the public to recognise that not all those who surrendered were combatants.

They include a mix of fighters, non-combatants, and their families.

Among them are farmers, women, and children who had been held captive by the insurgents, including some of the Chibok girls, who are classified as rescued victims.

The Borno Commissioner for Information and Internal Security, Prof. Usman Tar, noted that the model aligns with the UN framework for handling individuals exiting terrorist organisations.

He explained that it follows a structured process known as Disarmament, Demobilisation, De-radicalisation, Rehabilitation, Reconciliation, and Reintegration (DDDRRR).

regarding the mass surrender.

“This feedback mechanism has helped to strengthen the implementation of the Borno Model.

“The ultimate aim of the Borno Model is to reintegrate or bring together the ex-combatants and their communities so that they can live together peacefully again,” Ishaq said.

According to him, the reintegration process has been successful because it is community-driven.

“There’s no case of rejection of any person from communities because the process is community-driven.

“Community representatives participate in screening and recommending those to be reintegrated back to their communities.

“The military and DSS are always on hand to ensure that those reintegrated are not on the list of individuals declared wanted by the authorities,” Ishaq said.

The Borno Commissioner for Women’s Affairs and Social Development, Hajiya Zuwaira Gambo, whose ministry plays a key role in the rehabilitation and reintegration process, emphasised that the majority of those reintegrated are not combatants.

“We do not release ex-combatants, and we have records of the whereabouts of every person released,” Gambo stated.

She further explained that before anyone is reintegrated into their community, they must undergo an intensive three-week training programme on human rights, conducted by security and religious leaders.

Additionally, their community must be consulted and must approve their return.

So far, many proponents, including the Chief of Defence Staff, say non-kinetic approaches provide 70 percent of lasting conflict solutions.

Musa reaffirmed the military’s commitment, stressing that mass surrender is a key chance to end the insurgency if well managed.

“I want us all to come together and treat this as a new beginning for Borno, the North-East, and Nigeria as a whole. If we succeed here, we all know that the North-Central, North-West, and other parts of the country will equally know peace,” Musa said.

He stressed the need for both kinetic and non-kinetic approaches to work in tandem to bring an end to the conflict.

For many in Borno, the approach has greatly reduced terror attacks and boosted farming, rehabilitation, and resettlement efforts.

However, they urge the government to strengthen both kinetic and non-kinetic strategies to tackle insurgents in Sambisa Forest, the Mandara Mountains, and Lake Chad.

According to them, these areas continue to pose a serious threat to lasting peace.

They believe that the intelligence from surrendered insurgents provides security agencies with enough information to weaken the insurgency if properly utilised.

They also urged stakeholders, especially the military, to act on President Bola Tinubu’s directive, as announced by Defence Minister Mohammed Badaru, to contain major security challenges by December.