Some penitent insurgents have appealed to residents of communities in Maiduguri, the capital of Borno state, to forgive their involvement in acts of terrorism.
They made the request as they began community service and hygiene drills in communities across Maiduguri.
According to NAN, the exercise was organized by the Center for Democracy and Development (CDD) in cooperation with the Borno government.
Some of the repentant insurgents wore T-shirts that read “Please forgive us,” “We have repented,” and “Let’s rebuild Borno.”
Mala Mustafa, a senior research fellow at CDD, said of the exercise that the exercise is part of an effort to prepare her for her reintegration process.
“The rationale behind this exercise is that CDD supports the Borno state government as part of the preparatory work for the reintegration of ex-combatants,” Mustafa said.
“We felt it was imperative to change the narrative, particularly the negative perception among community members.
“We want to rebuild the relationship and trust between those who have surrendered and members of the community.”
He said 400 of the repentant insurgents had been mobilized for the exercise, 50 of whom would attend for a launch at Hajj camp Maiduguri this Saturday.
The camp houses over 12,000 repentant insurgents and their families.
Mustafa said the repentant insurgents’ exercise will be gradually expanded to selected communities in Maiduguri and neighboring areas.
According to him, participants in civic education in particular were trained to deal with the challenges of stereotyping, while some Islamic clerics taught them about the consequences of extremism.
