Nearly 10,000 former Boko Haram fighters have been reintegrated into Nigerian society through a government-backed rehabilitation and deradicalization program in Borno State, officials announced during a recent ceremony in Maiduguri.

The milestone was marked as 720 ex-combatants graduated from a reintegration center in the state capital, with government representatives present to oversee the proceedings.

Local authorities confirmed this latest group brings the total number of rehabilitated insurgents to 9,680, all of whom have been returned to their communities.

This initiative is part of Nigeria’s broader strategy to weaken jihadist groups operating around Lake Chad by encouraging defections and supporting former fighters’ transition to civilian life.

Images from the ceremony revealed hundreds of ex-fighters gathered at the center, where they took oaths before being formally released from the program.

Boko Haram’s 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 sporadic attacks in parts of the area.

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