The Minister of Defence, Mohammed Badaru Musa, has identified factors driving the recruitment of Nigerians into terrorist groups.
Musa stated this during an interview on Arise Television on Friday while speaking on the persistent insecurity challenges confronting the country.
According to the minister, many individuals were lured into extremist groups after being deceived into believing they were fighting for a religious cause, while others joined because of financial hardship and promises of economic rewards.
“Why do people join terrorist groups? First, many of them were deceived into believing they were fighting for God,” he said.
“Secondly, some joined because of poverty. They felt it was the only way to survive because these groups had money to offer them.”
He explained that terrorist organisations often exploit vulnerable individuals by promising financial support and a better future in order to recruit them.
The minister, however, noted that the Federal Government’s rehabilitation and reintegration programmes for repentant insurgents were yielding positive results.
According to him, individuals who surrender are provided with rehabilitation, vocational training and continuous monitoring to ensure they do not return to criminal activities.
“They were enticed with money and promises of heaven and earth. But when they are rehabilitated, trained and reintegrated into society, we continue to monitor them closely,” he added.
“I can tell you that none of those being monitored has returned to terrorism.”
Nigeria has battled insurgency and terrorism for more than a decade, particularly in the North-East, where groups such as Boko Haram and the Islamic State West Africa Province have carried out deadly attacks on communities, security personnel and public facilities.
Other extremist groups, including Jama’at Nusrat al-Islam wal-Muslimin, have also expanded activities across parts of West Africa, raising fresh security concerns in the region.
