40 Repentant Boko Haram Members ‘Shortlisted For 2026 Army Recruitment’
Forty (40) repentant Boko Haram terrorists have reportedly been shortlisted for the 91st Regular Recruits Intake (RRI 91) of the Nigerian Army.
Multiple sources quoted by an online news platform disclosed that the shortlisted candidates part of the 3,740 repentant members of Boko Haram reintegrated into society by the Borno State government.
The Nigerian Army’s 2026 recruitment for the 91st Regular Recruits Intake (RRI) is actively ongoing.
The screening exercise, which commenced on June 9, 2026 is being conducted in accordance with established military standards. Both the application and screening processes for the main intakes took place in the first half of the year.
A military source reportedly said the 40 ex-Boko Haram fighters sponsored by the Borno State government underwent medical examinations on Wednesday at the Nigerian Army 7 Division Military Hospital, Maimalari Cantonment, in Maiduguri as part of the screening process to join the Army.
“I can categorically confirm to you that the Borno State government brought forty repentant Boko Haram fighters who were shortlisted by the Army for their medical examinations during the week. Though some of them were rejected as not medically fit, most of them were screened to the next stage. It happened here at the 7 Division medical centre,” a serving Army Major was quoted as saying.
“It seems the repentant Boko Haram fighters are so special to the Borno State government. We are still surprised how they were shortlisted, because to join the Army, you need to provide documents such as a birth certificate or age declaration, educational certificates, a certificate of state of origin, and a recommendation letter or attestation from government officials, but these guys have none of this.”
“You can’t recruit people who haven’t finished secondary school simply because you want to compensate them. We hope the Borno State government hasn’t provided them with fake certificates to force them in as soldiers.”
Another officer, a Lieutenant, wondered how they were shortlisted in the first instance by the Nigerian Army.
“Yes, they all came for medicals this week, and this raises concern about the shortlisting process. It simply means convicted criminals can join the Army easily. They were all brought in by a bus provided by the Borno Government.”
Boko Haram has been long designated as terrorist organization. Its members have killed thousands and displaced millions particularly in northeastern Nigeria.
Recently, the Borno State government reintegrated 720 ‘repentant’ Boko Haram fighters, alongside 992 spouses and 2,050 children, into various communities under its “Borno Model” deradicalisation and rehabilitation programme.
The beneficiaries were among former insurgents who reportedly surrendered to security forces and subsequently underwent rehabilitation at the Hajj Camp in Maiduguri before being formally returned to society.
Speaking during the reintegration ceremony, the Special Adviser to Governor Babagana Zulum on Security and member of the state’s Deradicalisation, Rehabilitation and Reintegration Committee, retired Brigadier General Abdullahi Ishaq, described the programme as a critical component of Borno’s non-kinetic strategy against insurgency.