Four Rehabilitated Boko Haram Fighters Fled With Army AK-47s – English Alhaji
A social media video circulating online features claims alleging that former Boko Haram fighters who were rehabilitated and integrated into the Nigerian military have deserted to rejoin the insurgent group with official weaponry.
The video, posted on X by commentator Somto Okonkwo, shows an individual known as ‘English Alhaji’ accusing military authorities of deliberately attempting to conceal the alleged desertions from the public.
In the recording, the speaker claims that individuals visible on screen were repentant insurgents who passed through government rehabilitation before being recruited into armed service. He alleged that the personnel subsequently absconded with service-issued AK-47 rifles to return to Boko Haram.
‘They’re trying to hide this, but I will keep exposing them,’ the speaker stated in the video, alleging a deliberate cover-up by the Nigerian Army.
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The claims made in the video remain unverified, and military authorities have not issued an official response to the specific video clip.
Background on Rehabilitation Programmes
Nigeria established Operation Safe Corridor in 2016 as a Defence Headquarters initiative designed to de-radicalise, rehabilitate, and reintegrate former low-risk combatants who voluntarily surrendered.
The programme has faced ongoing scrutiny and public debate in Nigeria, with critics expressing concern over security risks and community acceptance. However, military officials have repeatedly denied that repentant combatants are absorbed directly into the armed forces, maintaining that participants receive vocational training for civilian life rather than military enlistment.
The conflict in north-eastern Nigeria involving Boko Haram and its splinter faction, Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP), has displaced millions of people and cost tens of thousands of lives over the past 15 years.