Nigeria: 6000 Boko Haram Fighters Surrender to Authorities

The Nigeria military says nearly 6,000 Boko Haram members including commanders, fighters and their families have surrendered to the authorities in the last couple of weeks, the BBC reports.

Cameroon had also announced the surrender of hundreds of Boko Haram militants in the country recently.

In Nigeria, the mass surrender of the members of the militant group is a result of the intense military offensive in the northeast of the country, the army says.

The death of Boko Haram leader Abubakar Shekau in May could be another reason.

Many of his followers have either surrendered to the authorities or switched their loyalty to the rival group Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP).

The Nigerian authorities say they’re now profiling those who have surrendered for possible de-radicalisation and rehabilitation.

But some Nigerians are sceptical about reintegrating the former fighters back into the society – citing possible risks.

According to the UN, the insurgency by Boko Haram that began in 2009 has caused the death of more than 300,000 people and the displacement of millions of others in Nigeria and several other countries in the Lake Chad region.

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