Authorities in Nigeria’s northeastern Borno State have announced that nearly 10,000 former Boko Haram fighters have been reintegrated into society through a government-backed rehabilitation and deradicalisation programme aimed at encouraging defections from insurgent groups.

The announcement was made during the graduation ceremony of 720 former militants from a rehabilitation centre in Maiduguri, the capital of Borno State.

According to state officials, the latest graduates bring the total number of former insurgents who have completed the programme and returned to their communities to 9,680.

The initiative forms part of Nigeria’s broader strategy to weaken armed groups operating across the Lake Chad Basin by encouraging fighters to surrender and resume civilian life.

Images from the ceremony showed hundreds of participants taking an oath before being formally discharged from the rehabilitation programme.

Boko Haram’s insurgency, which began more than a decade ago in northeastern Nigeria, has killed tens of thousands of people and displaced millions across Nigeria and neighbouring countries. Although military operations have significantly reduced the group’s capabilities, its factions continue to carry out attacks in parts of the region.

Borno State authorities maintain that rehabilitation and reintegration programmes remain a key component of efforts to end the insurgency and promote long-term stability in conflict-affected communities.