The federal government's Operation Safe Corridor initiative, aimed at deradicalising and reintegrating former insurgents, has come under scrutiny for excluding women despite their significant presence among those affected by Boko Haram violence. Since the insurgency began 24 years ago, approximately 50,000 people have been killed and over 2.5 million displaced. The programme, implemented with support from UNICEF, the EU and the UN, focuses on vocational training, literacy and life-skills development for repentant fighters. While it has facilitated the reintegration of some male combatants, women and girls who were forced into marriage, used as suicide bombers or subjected to sexual violence remain largely excluded. A public information campaign launched by UNICEF in Maiduguri seeks to support the reintegration of 6,000 former non-state combatants and associates under the Borno state government's coordination. UNICEF Chief of Field Office Phuong Nguyen stated that many of those returning were exploited as labourers, spies or cooks and suffered severe human rights violations. Gender expert Bridget Osakwe of the West Africa Network for Peacebuilding (WANEP) in Nigeria condemned the exclusion of women, calling it "unacceptable" and noting they are sidelined despite being used as sex slaves and bombers. Though some women receive fragmented humanitarian aid, they lack access to the structured support offered under Operation Safe Corridor. The Federal Ministry of Women Affairs has been identified as key to addressing gender disparities, but stakeholders insist all security and government agencies must share responsibility.
Operation Safe Corridor claims to rehabilitate repentant insurgents, yet women who were forced into Boko Haram's ranks remain excluded from its structured support. Bridget Osakwe noted these women were used as sex slaves and suicide bombers, but now face invisibility in reintegration efforts. While 6,000 former combatants are being processed with UNICEF backing, the absence of women in the official framework undermines claims of inclusivity. This gap risks leaving a traumatised population without pathways to recovery, despite their documented suffering.
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