Repentant terrorists swore by Quran, can’t return to killings – Borno

The government of Borno State declared on Wednesday that the 160,000 Boko Haram militants who have turned to God cannot resume their murderous ways since they took an oath based on the Quran.

According to Zuwaira Gambo, the state's Commissioner for Women Affairs and Social Development, whose ministry is in charge of the affairs of former fighters and rescued captives, out of 160,000 insurgents who have repented, 70,000 have been resettled and reintegrated into their communities.

Gambo emphasised that the former terrorists had sworn allegiance to the Quran and would never go back into the bush to join Boko Haram.

She gave a speech at the Allamin Foundation, a non-governmental organisation based in Maiduguri that receives funding from UKAID, showcasing the stories of Boko Haram survivors, victims, and deradicalized women.
The commissioner assuaged the public's mounting concerns that the terrorists in the Northeast were returning to their former positions of terror after repenting and arming themselves against the Nigerian government.

"It is totally false that the contrite Boko Haram fighters are breaking their word of repentance and going back into the bush to fight," the speaker declared.

"We have already reintegrated over 70,000 of the over 160,000 who repented into their home communities, and I can guarantee you that, should we choose to gather them all for verification, nobody will be missing. We run an open procedure for their atonement.


Having taken an oath with the Quran, the commissioner expressed her confidence that the contrite insurgent would not go back to the trenches.
We require each of them to take a proper oath under the Holy Quran promising never to fight in the bush again. They also swear under the Holy Quran in front of a committee made up of government officials, religious leaders, and traditional rulers.

No remorseful member of Boko Haram would dare break their word because they understand what it means to swear an oath based on the Holy Quran and would never back down; additionally, they would know that returning to the bush would mean meeting death; their leaders in the bush will kill him because they would not trust him.”
They weren't true fighters, in her opinion.

The state government, she said, would examine the demand charters in their entirety and take all appropriate action.
The demands of the survivors and victims from the government, security services, non-governmental organisations, the media, traditional and religious leaders, members of the community, and other stakeholders are included in the charter. These demands are for proper rehabilitation to a prosperous life.