Former Boko Haram commanders who surrendered under Nigeria’s deradicalization and amnesty programme have raised the alarm over a rising trend of re-defection, warning that many ex-fighters are returning to the insurgency due to government neglect and broken promises.
The former insurgents, who were among more than 30,000 fighters that voluntarily laid down arms and submitted to military custody under the federal government’s Operation Safe Corridor, say they were profiled and promised rehabilitation, skills acquisition, and reintegration support. However, they now allege that the promises have gone largely unmet.
In interviews with the International Centre for Investigative Reporting (ICIR), several former commanders revealed a worsening humanitarian situation within reintegration camps, noting that a growing number of ex-fighters are slipping back into insurgent-controlled territories in Sambisa Forest and other volatile regions.
One former top commander who served under the late Abubakar Shekau, Boko Haram’s notorious leader, expressed deep disappointment.
“We surrendered in good faith. We brought many others out from Sambisa and handed them to the authorities. But what have we received? A one-time ₦100,000 payment and nothing more,” he lamented.
“Many of us are struggling to feed. Some of our wives have even returned to the bush because life here is too hard.”
Another ex-commander, formerly with the Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP), said that many of the former fighters previously owned farms and businesses and had some degree of stability before trusting the government’s offer of peace.
“We had farms, livestock, and some of us were even involved in legitimate trade that took us as far as Dubai. We gave all that up in hopes of a better future. But now, there is nothing. Some are going back, and more will follow if this continues,” he warned.
The disclosures point to serious flaws in the government's deradicalization and reintegration programme, which was designed to offer repentant militants a pathway to civilian life, thereby weakening the insurgency from within.
While military authorities and government officials have often touted the initiative as a success, these firsthand testimonies paint a different picture one where neglect, poverty, and unmet expectations are now threatening to reverse the hard-won gains of years of military offensives and negotiations.
The former fighters emphasized that they are not demanding luxury or special privileges, but the basic support they were promised: shelter, vocational training, and sustainable livelihoods.
“We want to live normal lives. We want our children in school. But right now, survival is difficult. We are being left behind, and we fear we will soon have no choice,” one source said.
Analysts warn that a breakdown in the reintegration process could offer terrorist groups an opportunity to rebuild their ranks, especially with experienced ex-combatants familiar with government tactics and terrain.
Security experts are now calling on the Federal Government, the National Security Adviser, and the Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs to urgently review and revamp the program, ensuring that genuine defectors are not abandoned.
As one commander starkly concluded:
“The danger is not in what we’ve done, but in what we’re being pushed to do again — not because we want to fight, but because we cannot survive like this.”
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