The Borno State government in northeastern Nigeria has announced that nearly 10,000 former Boko Haram fighters have been successfully reintegrated into society through a government-led deradicalization and reintegration program designed to encourage defections from insurgent groups.

The milestone was marked during a graduation ceremony in Maiduguri, the state capital, where 720 former fighters completed the program in the presence of local officials.

Officials report that with this latest group, a total of 9,680 ex-insurgents have now been reintegrated into their communities since the initiative began.

This rehabilitation effort is part of a broader strategy by Nigerian authorities to weaken jihadist groups operating around Lake Chad by incentivizing fighters to surrender and return to civilian life.

Photos from the ceremony showed hundreds of ex-fighters gathered at the reintegration center, where participants took oaths before being formally discharged from the program.

The Boko Haram insurgency, which began over a decade ago in Nigeria’s northeast, has claimed tens of thousands of lives and displaced millions across the country and neighboring regions. While military operations have significantly degraded the group’s capabilities, armed factions continue to carry out attacks in parts of the region.

Borno State authorities emphasize that rehabilitation and reintegration programs remain critical to ending the conflict and fostering long-term stability in communities devastated by the insurgency.