Deradicalization and Social Integration of Defected Boko Haram Militants In Nigeria: A Review of The Yellow Ribbon Initiative

Abstract

In a bid to curb the activities of the Boko Haram insurgents in Nigeria, the government, in 
2015, set up amnesty programs for low-risk Boko Haram defectors. Since then, thousands of 
Boko Haram members have defected. However, effective social integration of these defected 
members remains a challenge in the North-East region of Nigeria. The deradicalization and 
social integration program is in three main program streams – the prison program; the 
Operation Safe Corridor (OSC) and the Yellow Ribbon Initiative (YRI). The prison program is 
targeted at convicted Boko Haram members, while the OSC is targeted at low-risk Boko Haram 
members. The YRI, which is the focus of this presentation, is targeted at women and children
associated with Boko Haram. It has been asserted that the YRI has reintegrated thousands of 
women and children, but the veracity of this claim remains a challenge due to the lack of 
transparency and accountability of the program. This presentation investigates the level of 
involvement of the children claimed to have been reintegrated into the society under the YRI. 
The presentation further investigates the reception of these children into the society, as well as 
the extent to which their rights are protected. Using a socio-legal method, the legal and 
institutional frameworks of the YRI were examined. The effectiveness of the YRI was measured 
by interviewing relevant government, NGOs, INGOs and other stakeholders involved in the 
YRI program. The presentation will make recommendations based on the findings of this 
research.