I find most of the conversation around admitting “repentant” Boko Haram members back into society quite intriguing but limiting. Like many other Nigerians, I wonder whether it is about the common good, or about securing more funding for a military operation that experience has shown to be highly ineffective.
Like many other things that we get wrong in this country, we forget that this process is being handled by Nigerians, many of whom have little regard for the rule of law, or for the people who have to live with the post-traumatic stress disorders arising from the violence they suffered at the hands of these criminal elements.
Repentant Boko Haram members should definitely be rehabilitated—but in prison. Such rehabilitation programmes should be incorporated into the prison system in the country, as is done in saner climes.
Hence, if a Boko Haram member repents, he or she must first be charged in court for alleged crimes against humanity previously committed, and if found guilty, should then be sent to prison. Rehabilitation should then take place concurrently with the prison sentence.
I understand why many would see this as overly ambitious, since there is very little faith in the courts themselves, and in the government’s approach to matters regarding insurgents and insurgency in the country. If we cannot address the lack of confidence in the government’s capacity to handle insecurity, how can we expect citizens to buy into “Operation Safe Corridor”?
The report by Usman (2025) of the Pulitzer Center offers many different insights regarding the challenges that these “repentant” Boko Haram/ISWAP members face at various levels. His article reminds us that “Safe Corridor” has, in fact, not captured many of those who should officially be in the programme.
A recent survey concurs with this observation, noting that imprisoned former terrorists have a better chance of reintegrating into society if their rehabilitation efforts are considered sincere by the people (Godefroidt, 2025). This can only happen if and when people see that crimes have been duly punished.
Amélie Godefroidt, a senior researcher at the Catholic University of Leuven, Belgium, reported initial results of a survey of 2,000 young Nigerians in an October 2025 article in The Conversation. She observed that Nigerian government rehabilitation initiatives “have achieved limited success so far, as many citizens remain wary and resistant to their return” (ADF, 2025).
One participant in the survey said, “the only precondition is that they have never taken a life. No killer deserves to be free, let alone get amnesty.” Do we not care that those most affected by the insurgency want insurgents to be punished for their crimes? Is this not in line with what the law states?
Another dimension that renders the entire discourse about Safe Corridor problematic is the fact that insecurity has not only continued but has worsened. Almost sixteen years since OSC was founded under Muhammadu Buhari, the conflicts persist. A recent study by the Centre for Democracy and Development and Newcastle University makes it clear that “victims and other local actors are of the view that the cessation of the conflicts is a major precondition for reconciliation and reintegration” (Hassan & Routley, 2025, p. 4).
One of their major recommendations is that “the integration elements of the OSC programmes must be refocused to include communities that receive ex-combatants, rather than purely individualised settlement packages” (Hassan & Routley, 2025, p. 17).
So, unless the conversation shifts toward how these deradicalisation and reintegration programmes can benefit local communities, and unless the justice system is decisive about prosecuting and punishing ex-combatants, OSC will continue to be grossly ineffective.
References
ADF. (2025). Nigeria shows successful rehab is key to reintegration of terrorists. https://adf-magazine.com/2025/11/nigeria-shows-successful-rehab-is-key-to-reintegration-of-terrorists/
Godefroidt, A. (2025, October). Public perceptions of terrorist reintegration in Nigeria. The Conversation.
Hassan, I., & Routley, L. (2025). The deradicalisation and reintegration of ex-combatants in Nigeria. Newcastle University / Centre for Democracy and Development. https://eprints.ncl.ac.uk
Reuters. (2024, July 27). Nigeria courts convict 125 Boko Haram Islamist insurgents in mass trial. https://www.reuters.com/world/africa/nigeria-courts-convict-125-boko-haram-islamist-insurgents-mass-trial-2024-07-27
Usman, A. (2025). Surrendered terrorists evade official rehabilitation programme, reinfiltrate Nigerian communities. Pulitzer Center. https://pulitzercenter.org/stories/Surrendered-terrorists-evade-official-rehabilitation-programme-reinfiltrate-nigerian
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