A resident of Borno State, Enoch Yohanna, has alleged that former members of Boko Haram who have undergone rehabilitation are receiving financial benefits from the government, including lump-sum payments and monthly stipends.
Speaking at a public event, Yohanna said he is troubled by what he described as state support for individuals linked to violent attacks that affected his family and community.
“My pain is that the assailants who killed my father and carried out mass abductions are being paid with taxpayers’ money,” he said.
His comments focused on the Federal Government’s Operation Safe Corridor, a programme introduced in 2016 under the Muhammadu Buhari administration. The initiative is designed to process individuals described as “low-risk” or those who have renounced militancy through a system of deradicalisation, rehabilitation and reintegration.
Yohanna, however, questioned how participants are assessed and reintegrated, alleging that financial packages are provided after rehabilitation.
According to him, “Boko Haram are being rehabilitated. After rehabilitation, they fill forms and are asked questions about how many people they have killed. If you killed many, you have your own category. If you have never killed, you stay there one month. If you killed a small number, two months. If you killed many, six months.”
He further alleged that some of those processed through the programme receive payments and employment-linked support.
“These are the people that are given payoff of N3 million and monthly salary of N50,000. I am revealing this,” he said.
Yohanna also claimed that some rehabilitated individuals are integrated into local security structures and deployed in different parts of the country.
“After being rehabilitated and cannot live without using guns, the government will provide guns for you as civilian JTF. You all know they are here in Abuja. Most of them are repented Boko Haram,” he alleged.
He further said some are engaged in assignments outside Nigeria and that injured personnel are treated in government facilities upon return.
The allegations also extended to security-related arrangements in states affected by insurgency, where he claimed there are financial agreements between state governments concerning local security volunteers.
As of the time of filing this report, the Federal Government has not publicly responded to Yohanna’s specific claims.
