A reformed female Boko Haram member, Fatima Musa who went through deradicalisation and has resettled in Mafa local government area of Borno State has expressed remorse for tearing her National Certificate in Education.
Musa disclosed this in Maiduguri on Tuesday during a community discussion centered on understanding, tolerance, and peaceful coexistence.
The event was organised for the repentant persons and community leaders of Mafa.
The dialogue was organised by a community-based Non-Governmental Organisation, Allamin Foundation, with support from the British Government under the UKaid.
Musa, who was deradicalised with other repentant women by the foundation, said many of them joined the insurgency at a young age after they were misled.
“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.
Also speaking at the dialogue, another deradicalised woman who identified herself as Bintu, pleaded for forgiveness from the people of Mafa and urged for support to the foundation to reach out to more women and men in the bush.
Bintu highlighted that some individuals who had repented were driven back to the wilderness due to the stigma and harassment from others, who condemned them to hellfire despite their efforts to repent.
“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 persons have easy money and others loot in the bush. They are struggling for survival with other citizens in their communities.
“Such repentant persons need to be encouraged to start a new life to sustain it,” Bintu said.
Some residents of Mafa who also spoke at the meeting urged the government to do more on the deradicalisation and resettlement process, including more empowerment support for victims and those who repented in line with transitional Justice.
The leader of the Civilian Joint Task Force in Mafa, Babagana Butu, said members now include some of the repentant insurgents.
“We patrol the area together. We provided them with farmlands to cultivate like everyone as part of the reintegration process.
“We want the government to also remember them in its empowerment programmes to enable them to sustain themselves and their families as well as contribute positively to the society,” Butu said.
The foundation’s Executive Director, Hajiya Hamsatu Allamin emphasised that the purpose of the dialogue was to address the challenges that have surfaced during the reintegration process and strategise on how to tackle them effectively.
Allamin, emphasised that the dialogue aimed to address the challenges that have arisen during the reintegration process and discuss the way forward.
One of the event’s highlights was a lecture on the Islamic perspective concerning peace, reconciliation, and harmonious co-existence by Sheikh Ali Mustapha, a respected consultant and peace mediator.