Nigeria’s plan to reintegrate more than 700 former Boko Haram fighters into civilian life is facing resistance. Authorities argue the program encourages defections, weakens extremist recruitment, and strengthens long-term security by rehabilitating low-risk ex-combatants through counseling and vocational training. However, violence-weary communities in the northeast—particularly in Borno state—are aggressively pushing back. The program provides former Boko Haram fighters a state-sponsored pathway back into civilian life and helps them avoid traditional criminal prosecution. But for survivors of extremist violence, many of whom are still languishing in Internally Displaced Persons (IDP) camps, the initiative reopens deep trauma, especially as it deprives them of justice. If the state fails to balance insurgent rehabilitation with transitional justice for victims, the controversial reintegration program risks triggering localized vigilante violence, deepening public mistrust, and ultimately failing to secure a lasting peace in the northeast.
DW
