Repentant Terrorists Won’t Go Back To The Bush Cos They Swore To Quran – Borno Govt
The Borno State Government has allayed the fears that many repentant terrorists reintegrated into society after the rehabilitation and deradicalisation programme will go back into terrorism.
According to the state government, a key part of the programme is swearing by the Quran, a strategy considered strong enough to prevent them from taking up arms again.
The state Commissioner of Women Affairs and Social Development, Zuwaira Gambo, stated this in an interview with Newscentral television, aired on Monday, saying that taking an oath with the holy book without adhering to it has implications.
She said, “When they come to us through all the processes of the Borno model, the last thing they do is, they take an oath with the Quran. Once you swear by the quran, you know the implication.
“People assume that they will go back to the bush; well, they may, but they are dead on arrival. So, it is not even about whether they have been certified or we trust them or not. The law of the jungle takes care of that. The moment you step out, and you surrender to the constituted authority, you become an infidel,” she said.
The Commissioner, however, highlighted that key challenges, including finance, have been affecting the smooth running of the programme
“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, how are you going to clothe and provide for them with necessary access to education,” she stressed.
It would be recalled that outrage trailed the recent graduation and planned reintegration of 744 former terrorists under the Federal Government’s De-radicalisation, Rehabilitation and Reintegration programme, Operation Safe Corridor.
The beneficiaries, drawn largely from conflict-affected states, completed the programme with 597 of them from Borno State, while others came from Adamawa, Yobe, Kano, and several other states across the country.
The development at the time triggered widespread debate over transparency, accountability, and the impact of reintegration on victims of violent extremism.
Olamilekan Adigun is a graduate of Mass Communication with years of experience in journalism embedded in uncovering human interest stories. He also prioritises accuracy and factual reportage of issues.
