Our fear is if these repentant Boko Haram women don’t get men to marry they may return to bush—Wakil

Modu Grema Wakil, a ward head in Old Maiduguri, has voiced concerns about the difficulties faced by surrendered female Boko Haram in finding suitors for marriage. He said despite expressing their desire to marry, these women are struggling to find men willing to enter into romantic relationships with them.

In a recent report by Punch, Wakil said many of these women reach out to community leaders seeking assistance in finding suitable partners. He emphasized the importance of these women finding husbands, as it could help prevent them from returning to terrorist activities. He expressed concern that without the stability and support of marriage, these women may be tempted to renege on their repentance vows and return to the bush.

In Wakil’s words: “Our fear is that if these [repentant Boko Haram] women don’t get men to marry, they may be tempted to renege on their repentance vows from terror activities and return to the bush. But when they get suitors and marry or remarry in the law-abiding society, other girls and women still in the bush could be encouraged to surrender and come back home”.