Nearly 10,000 former Boko Haram fighters have been reintegrated into Nigerian society through a government-led deradicalization and rehabilitation initiative, authorities in Borno State announced. The milestone comes as 720 ex-combatants graduated from a reintegration center in Maiduguri, marking another step in efforts to weaken insurgent groups operating in the Lake Chad region.

With this latest cohort, the total number of former fighters successfully reintegrated now stands at 9,680, according to Borno State officials who presided over the graduation ceremony in the state capital.

The program, part of a broader strategy to counter violent extremism, provides participants with vocational training, psychological support, and pathways to civilian life. Former insurgents undergo a structured process including oath-taking before being formally released from the initiative.

Boko Haram’s decade-long insurgency in Nigeria’s northeast has left tens of thousands dead and displaced millions across the region. While military operations have significantly degraded the group’s capabilities, splinter factions continue to carry out sporadic attacks in parts of Borno and neighboring areas.

State authorities emphasize that rehabilitation and reintegration remain critical to ending the conflict and fostering long-term stability in communities ravaged by years of violence. The latest reintegration wave underscores Nigeria’s commitment to addressing the root causes of extremism while offering former fighters an alternative path away from militancy.