In Maiduguri, Borno State, North-East Nigeria, the eighth batch of 560 repentant Boko Haram militants who are low-risk and minors are starting their training.
According to AIT live, the primary goal of the training is to get them ready for life after camp. The duration of the reintegration training is six to nine months.
The Borno State Special Adviser on Security Affairs, retired Brigadier General Abdullah Ishaq, says the trainees would be exposed to trades including various talents before being returned to their homes.
He announced that academics, law enforcement, the National Orientation Agency, religious authorities, and other pertinent societal segments would be giving lectures to them over a period of two weeks.
After the program is over, they will also get starter kits before being sent back to the communities that first screened them for the training.
In General Ishaq's words, “This is the 8th batch; we have earlier done 1st–7th, which gave us 7,930; plus this number, we have 560 that will be leaving by next week. Out of the 7,930, we have not received any negative reports from anybody.”
"My message has always been that as soon as they get back to the community, they should be involved in whatever activities the community is doing, be it naming ceremonies, burials, or Jumat prayers; they should all work together.”
"Within the 3 years of the program, so much has been achieved, in terms of people returning to farms and the general gradual return of peace."