Fatima Musa, a former Boko Haram member who has undergone deradicalization, expressed deep regret for destroying her National Certificate in Education (NCE) after being misled by the extremist group. Now resettled in Mafa Local Government Area of Borno State, Musa shared her story during a community dialogue on understanding, tolerance, and peaceful coexistence, held in Maiduguri on Tuesday.
The event, organized by the Allamin Foundation, a community-based NGO, with support from the British Government under UKaid, brought together repentant insurgents and community leaders from Mafa.
Reflecting on her past, Musa revealed that many young people, including herself, were misled into joining the insurgency through a distorted interpretation of religion. “We were misled as young people through the use of religion and later discovered that we went the wrong way after we were deradicalized by the foundation,” she said.
Musa emphasized how clerics involved in the deradicalization process helped her and others to understand the true teachings of Islam, which 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,” she confessed.
Musa also expressed a personal desire to reconnect with her father, who is now in a neighboring country, to seek his forgiveness for joining the sect against his wishes.
Another deradicalized woman, Bintu, also spoke during the dialogue, pleading for forgiveness from the people of Mafa. She highlighted the importance of community support in helping other repentants reintegrate into society, warning that stigma and harassment could drive some back to the insurgency.
“If you keep telling people they are doomed, they’ll say since there’s no forgiveness, they had better go back and continue,” Bintu explained, stressing that reintegration efforts need to focus on providing encouragement and support to those who have surrendered.
Community members at the meeting, including the leader of the Civilian Joint Task Force in Mafa, Babagana Butu, emphasized the need for continued government support in the deradicalization and resettlement process. Butu noted that some repentant insurgents have been integrated into community patrols and provided with farmlands to cultivate.
The Executive Director of the Allamin Foundation, Hajiya Hamsatu Allamin, who organized the dialogue, noted that the event aimed to address challenges faced in the reintegration process and explore ways to move forward.
A lecture on Islamic teachings regarding peace, reconciliation, and peaceful coexistence was delivered by Sheikh Ali Mustapha, a consultant and peace mediator.
