Nigeria Opens Rehabilitation Camps for Repentant Boko Haram Members to Give Them Life Skills for Reintegration into Society

Africa
Nigerian military plans to open rehabilitation camps for Boko Haram fighters who are repentant, according to a statement from national defense headquarters. |

Nigeria's military has opened a rehabilitation camp for Boko Haram fighters who have surrendered and are repentant, a statement from Nigerian Defense Headquarters (DHQ) said.

DHQ has also asked the militants to abandon the terrorism that has claimed 20,000 lives since the September 2010 mass prison break.

The rehabilitation program called "Operation Safe Corridor," will allow repentant militants to come to rehabilitation camps, where they will be offered vocational and life skills.

About 2,000 people have already been released from the Boko Haram web by West African regional forces, and some 800 members from the militant group surrendered, as they were suffering from hunger.

The West African regional forces had successfully cut down supplies to the militant group which had spread to many western African countries.

The military has also rescued over 11,000 civilian hostages from Boko Haram camps in the north-eastern Nigeria since February.

According to AP, around 300 members were also arrested during a three-day operation to wipe out the group's presence on the borders of Nigeria, Chad, and Cameroon.

Brigadier General Rabe Abubakar told BBC, "Since they have shown remorse and come on board, I think it is our duty to ensure that we help them to become very productive members of this great country," and added DHQ will open two more camps within the next few months.

He encouraged the Boko Haram members to "see wisdom in surrendering now" as "the final onslaught against the remnant group of terrorists would continue unabated and would not relent until the power of evil forces in the northeast is completely neutralized."

A Baptist leader, General Secretary Duro Ayanrinola of the All Africa Baptist Fellowship told Baptist Press that the program may prove to be an avenue for the former militants to hear the Gospel.

"I think the program will succeed if it is well coordinated and if the government will keep the repented ones from other insurgents. In my opinion, the Nigerian government has done what a good government should do in a situation like ours," Ayanrinola told BP.

"Fighting Boko Haram is a spiritual matter; it is a problem of the heart and indoctrination," Ayanrinola added. "Only Jesus can give a new heart through His Spirit and make sincere repentance possible."