By SUNTV Global Channel
January 29, 2026 | News
A review of the Borno State Government’s 2025 full-year budget performance has revealed that the state spent ₦4.3 billion on livelihood support for so-called repentant Boko Haram members—an amount significantly higher than capital allocations to key health institutions, including the state’s university teaching hospital.
Documents reviewed by SUNTV Global Channel show that ₦1.6 billion of the ₦4.3 billion was released between October and December 2025 alone, meaning over one-third of the total expenditure was disbursed within just three months.
In contrast, the Borno State Primary Healthcare Development Board recorded a total capital expenditure of ₦2 billion for the entire 2025 fiscal year—more than ₦2 billion less than what was spent on rehabilitating former insurgents.
Similarly, capital expenditure for the Borno State University Teaching Hospital stood at ₦2.7 billion, also below the amount allocated to the reintegration programme. The Hospital Management Board received ₦3.1 billion in capital funding for 2025, still short of the ₦4.3 billion expended on the livelihood scheme for “repentant” fighters.
This spending trend follows a similar pattern in previous years. An earlier review showed that between January and September 2024, the Borno State Government spent ₦3.45 billion on livelihood support under the Disarmament, Demobilisation and Reintegration (DDR) programme for former Boko Haram members.
However, the programme has remained deeply controversial. In 2025, SUNTV Global Channel investigations quoted frontline Nigerian soldiers deployed in Borno and Yobe states, who accused government-backed “repentant” insurgents of leaking sensitive military intelligence to their former commanders.
According to the soldiers, integrating former fighters into civilian and security-adjacent roles has become a “deadly mistake costing lives.” One serviceman alleged that insurgents often receive advance information about Nigerian Army movements before launching attacks.
“Before Boko Haram attacks any military camp in the Northeast, they already know how we operate. These repentant fighters tell them everything,” the soldier said.
He claimed that details such as troop strength, weapon types, armoury locations, and even daily routines—like the ‘stand-to’ period between 4:00pm and 7:00pm—are allegedly passed on to terrorist groups, leaving soldiers exposed.
The soldier further alleged that the intelligence leaks extend beyond operations to logistics and supply routes.
Despite heavy investments in non-kinetic reintegration efforts, attacks by Boko Haram and ISWAP have continued unabated across Borno State.
In April 2025, Governor Babagana Zulum warned that Boko Haram fighters were regrouping around the Tumbus area of Lake Chad and the Mandara Hills in the Sambisa Forest. While acknowledging the efforts of the Nigerian military, the governor said the insurgency remained a serious challenge requiring urgent action.
Zulum stressed that military operations must be complemented with non-kinetic strategies, noting that the state had received over 300,000 repentant Boko Haram members in the last three years.
“Not all of them are fighters; some are farmers,” he said, while also calling for more trained military manpower in the Northeast.
The governor further warned that Boko Haram and ISWAP receive international support, describing Nigeria’s porous borders and instability in the Sahel as major security threats.
“If the Sahel is not secured, Nigeria will never be secured,” Zulum said, urging stronger regional security cooperation.
He also called for increased air power, attack helicopters, drones, and advanced technology, citing a deadly ISWAP and Boko Haram attack in Wulgo that reportedly involved the use of armed drones against Multinational Joint Task Force (MNJTF) troops.
As debate continues, the stark contrast between spending on former insurgents and funding for critical health infrastructure is likely to intensify public scrutiny of Borno State’s security and development priorities.
