Submit your papersSubmit Now
For Enquiries: [email protected]
IIARD LogoIIARD

Reintegrating the ‘Repentant’: Theological and Ethical Challenges of Welcoming Former Boko Haram Members in Nigerian Religious Communities

Godbless Semako Avoseh

Abstract

The reintegration of former Boko Haram members into Nigerian religious communities raises profound theological and ethical questions that the existing literature has largely left unaddressed. Drawing on Miroslav Volf’s theology of reconciliation as expressed in Exclusion and Embrace (1996; revised 2019), supplemented by Islamic doctrines of tawbah (repentance) and sulh (reconciliation) and African Traditional Religion frameworks of communal restoration, this article interrogates how Islam, Christianity, and ATR in Nigeria conceptualise the return of the ‘repentant’ ex-combatant. Using focus group discussions with religious community leaders and affected populations in Borno, Adamawa, Yobe, and Plateau states, alongside textual analysis of Operation Safe Corridor policy documents, Boko Haram manifestos, and selected religious sermons, the study finds that while all three traditions possess rich theological resources for restoration, significant ethical tensions exist between victim justice and offender rehabilitation. Community suspicion, theological ambiguity about the authenticity of repentance, and the structural inadequacies of the state’s deradicalization programme collectively undermine the reintegration project. The article argues for a contextually grounded, multi-traditional theology of restoration that centres victim dignity whilst creating space for the theologically credible return of former combatants.

Keywords

Boko Haramreintegrationtawbahreconciliation theologyOperation Safe CorridorNigerian religious communitiesderadicalizationATRrestorative justice

References

Adamu, F. L. (2008). Gender, Hisba and the enforcement of morality in northern Nigeria. Africa, 78(1), 136–152. https://doi.org/10.3366/E0001972008000090 Adesoji, A. O. (2011). The Boko Haram uprising and Islamic revivalism in Nigeria. Africa Spectrum, 46(2), 95–108. https://doi.org/10.1177/000203971104600205 Ammar, N. H. (2019). Restorative justice and Islam. In D. Sullivan & L. Tifft (Eds.), Handbook of restorative justice (pp. 193–205). Routledge. Arafa, M. (2019). Rethinking justice in transitional justice in the Muslim world: Any role of Shari’a law? JURIST: Legal News and Commentary. https://www.jurist.org/commentary/2019/11/mohamed-arafa-transitional-justice/ Braun, V., & Clarke, V. (2006). Using thematic analysis in psychology. Qualitative Research in Psychology, 3(2), 77–101. https://doi.org/10.1191/1478088706qp063oa Chothia, F. (2015). Who are Nigeria’s Boko Haram fighters? BBC Africa. https://www.bbc.com/news/world-africa-29413964 Clubb, G., & Tapley, M. (2018). Conceptualizing deradicalization and former combatant reintegration in Nigeria. Third World Quarterly, 39(11), 2053–2068. https://doi.org/10.1080/01436597.2018.1458303 Cook, D. (2011). Boko Haram: A prognosis. James A. Baker III Institute for Public Policy, Rice University. Creswell, J. W., & Poth, C. N. (2018). Qualitative inquiry and research design: Choosing among five approaches (4th ed.). SAGE. Crisis Group. (2021). An exit from Boko Haram? Assessing Nigeria’s Operation Safe Corridor. International Crisis Group Africa Report No. 170. Fairclough, N. (2003). Analysing discourse: Textual analysis for social research. Routledge. Falola, T. (1998). Violence in Nigeria: The crisis of religious politics and secular ideologies. University of Rochester Press. Ike, T. J., Jidong, D. E., & Ayobi, E. E. (2025). Improving affected victims and community reintegration of former Boko Haram terrorist defectors in Nigeria: A community-informed participatory action research. Dynamics of Asymmetric Conflict, 18(1), 103–118. https://doi.org/10.1080/17467586.2024.2407937 Imam, A. M. (2015). The devil is in the details: At the nexus of development, women’s rights, and religious politics in Nigeria. Association for Women’s Rights in Development. Institute for Economics and Peace. (2025). Global terrorism index 2025. IEP. International Organisation for Migration. (2017). Action plan for demobilisation, disassociation, reintegration, and reconciliation: Nigeria. IOM. Jones, L. G. (1995). Embodying forgiveness: A theological analysis. Eerdmans. Kamali, M. H. (2002). Principles of Islamic jurisprudence (3rd ed.). Islamic Texts Society. Loimeier, R. (2012). Boko Haram: The development of a militant religious movement in Nigeria. Africa Spectrum, 47(2–3), 137–155. https://doi.org/10.1177/000203971204700206 Magesa, L. (1997). African religion: The moral traditions of abundant life. Orbis Books. Nefliasheva, N. (2023). The program of deradicalization of Islamists “Operation Safe Corridor” in Nigeria: Evaluation by contemporary African scholars. Asia and Africa Today, (11). https://doi.org/10.31857/S032150750028218-3 Nwoye, A. (2017). An African perspective on the theory and practice of positive psychology. South African Journal of Psychology, 47(3), 305–316. https://doi.org/10.1177/0081246316665654 Olupona, J. K. (2011). City of 201 gods: Ilẹ-Ifẹ in time, space, and the imagination. University of California Press. Sampson, I. T. (2012). Religious violence in Nigeria: Causal diagnosis and strategic recommendations to the state and religious communities. African Journal of Conflict Resolution, 12(1), 103–133. Thurston, A. (2017). Boko Haram: The history of an African jihadist movement. Princeton University Press. Tutu, D. (1999). No future without forgiveness. Rider. Ugwueze, M., Ngwu, E., & Onuoha, F. (2022). Operation Safe Corridor Programme and reintegration of ex-Boko Haram fighters in Nigeria. Journal of Asian and African Studies, 57(6), 1229–1248. https://doi.org/10.1177/00219096211047996 UN Women. (2021). The impact of Boko Haram on women and girls in the Lake Chad Basin. UN Women. UNICEF. (2020). Children and armed conflict in Nigeria: 2020 annual report. UNICEF Nigeria. Volf, M. (1996). Exclusion and embrace: A theological exploration of identity, otherness, and reconciliation. Abingdon Press. Volf, M. (2006). The end of memory: Remembering rightly in a violent world. Eerdmans. Volf, M. (2019). Exclusion and embrace: A theological exploration of identity, otherness, and reconciliation (Revised and updated ed.). Abingdon Press. Yaqeen Institute. (2024). Repentance, redemption, and salvation: An Islamic framework. https://yaqeeninstitute.org/read/paper/repentance-redemption-salvation-an-islamic- framework Zehr, H. (2015). The little book of restorative justice (Revised ed.). Good Books.

More Articles from INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF SOCIAL SCIENCES AND MANAGEMENT RESEARCH

Building National Analytics Capacity: Advances and Future Pathways

Author: Uchechi Mary-Linda Unamma, Ifeanyichukwu Jeffrey Okwesa, Uzoamaka Iwuanyanwu

Root-Cause and Thematic Analysis for Major Incident Management: A Review

Author: Ifeanyichukwu Jeffrey Okwesa, Uchechi Mary-Linda Unamma, Uzoamaka Iwuanyanwu

Data-Quality and Single-Source-Of-Truth Frameworks for Inter- Agency Reporting: A Review

Author: Uchechi Mary-Linda Unamma, Ifeanyichukwu Jeffrey Okwesa, Uzoamaka Iwuanyanwu

Human-In-The-Loop Decision Systems: Advances and Future Directions

Author: Funmilayo Ashore-Onisemo, Uchechi Mary-Linda Unamma, Ifeanyichukwu Jeffrey, Okwesa,

Roles of Oil Subsidy Removal on Transportation Cost and Water Factory in Cross River South, Nigeria

Author: Onwuzurike Peter Tobechi, Owoh Akwa Owoh, Unoh Grace Inyang, Umaru Musa