Some of the 59 district heads from Borno Emirate Council who were trained in a-one-day workshop organized by a non-governmental organization, Allamin Foundation for Peace and Development, have lamented the threats, intimidation, and rejection faced by some survivors of the Boko Haram insurgency in the hands of some of the repentant terrorists.
The district heads expressed the concern during the Foundation’s presentation of the Charter of Demands from de-radicalized women and girls who were forcefully conscripted into the Boko Haram insurgency but have surrendered to the authority.
A district head, Abba Kawu, narrated how a repentant Boko Haram terrorist returned from the bush, and on realizing that the wife he left behind had married another man, he sent a message to the man who married his abandoned wife and threatened to kill him if he did not return his wife.
Kawu noted that issues like threats, rejection, and intimidation are some of the challenges facing the reconciliation process, as well as the reintegration of some of the deradicalized women and girls into their respective communities.
” The repentant terrorist led some attacks in Dikwa, in Dikwa local government area of the state, and was captured by Chadian forces. After his deradicalization and reintegration into the community, he realized that the wife he abandoned and entered the forest had married another man, he began to issue threatening messages to the husband of his former wife to return her or be killed. This is even though the woman waited for him the surrendered terrorist for years before marrying another man,” the district head narrated.
Another district head, Baba Abba Bukar, narrated how one young lady who was abducted by the terrorists escaped with the terrorist who married her in captivity alongside their children, but on returning home, her father rejected her, her children, and her husband.
Speaking on the Charter of Demands from the de-radicalized women and girls, the district head of Maisandari, Alhaji Abba Bukar, said that based on the demands made by the deradicalized persons forcefully conscripted into the Boko Haram terrorism for them not to be victimized, rejected or left behind, after coming out from the bush, the traditional rulers decided to plead on their behalf for government and humanitarian agencies to come to their aid.
” As traditional rulers, we are also advocating for government and relevant agencies to consider the plights of the survivors of the Boko Haram insurgency. As advocates of peace and peaceful co-existence, we are appealing to the government to see how we can successfully reconcile and reintegrate the survivors into the society without stigmatization and rejection,” the district head said.
In her remarks, the Executive Director, of Allamin Foundation for Peace and Development, Hajiya Hamsatu Allamin, said the workshop is a public presentation of the Charter of Demands of the survivors, victims, and the deradicalized women to the district heads of government, security agencies, religious leaders and the larger society.
” So these traditional rulers are aligned with the larger community, as well as the religious leaders. In Borno culture, the religious scholars are the pillars of the society hence, we selected the district heads because they are more aligned with the community members and religious scholars at the grassroots.
” They will consult with the community and scholars and come up with feedback on how to address the challenges of the victims, the deradicalized women for a successful reconciliation and reintegration into the society without stigmatization and rejection.
” The Allamin foundation had been strengthening capacities of traditional and religious leaders, as well as community leaders, and youths vanguard, in four local government areas of Maiduguri Metropolitan Council ( MMC ), Jere, Mafa, and Konduga, in engaging de-radicalized women, which had led them to bring back their husbands from the bush to embrace a life of dignity, ” Hamsatu Allamin said.
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