A repentant female Boko Haram member Fatima Musa said her eyes are now open to the deceit of the radical Islamic sect.
Ms. Musa who was speaking during a dialogue organised by a community-based NGO, Allamin Foundation, with support from UKaid, said she tore up her Nigeria Certificate of Education because of the main teaching of the sect which says western education was evil and therefore forbidden.
Ms. Musa who is now resettled in Mafa, Borno State narrated: “We were misled as young people through the use of religion and later discovered that we went the wrong way after we were deradicalised by the foundation.
“We met with clerics who put us on the right track regarding Islam. We are now mature and more knowledgeable on Islam and the teachings of the Holy Prophet that promote peace and tolerance.
“I regret tearing my NCE certificate up when I made the mistake of accepting the twisted ideology that Western education was Haram. One of my prayers for now is to reach out to my father, who is now in a neighbouring country, to beg for his forgiveness for joining the sect against his wish,” she said.
However, another deradicalised female member identified only as Binta said repentant insurgents are falling back to old habits because they feel not welcomed by the society.
“If you keep telling people they are doomed, they’ll say since there’s no forgiveness, they had better go back and continue.
“Some of the surrendered have easy money, and others loot in the bush. but now they are struggling for survival with other citizens in their communities. Such repentants need to be encouraged to start a new life to sustain it,” Ms Bintu said.
Some residents of Mafa, who also spoke at the meeting, urged the government to do more on the deradicalisation and resettlement process through more empowerment support to victims and those who repented in line with transitional justice.
The foundation’s executive director, Hamsatu Allamin, said the dialogue was organised to discuss issues arising from the reintegration process and the way forward regarding challenges faced.
