Some recently rescued abducted women in Niger State have alarmed authorities by expressing a desire to return to their former terrorist captors.
Their shocking decision, according to officials and advocacy groups, stems from deep psychological trauma, prolonged abuse, and an overwhelming fear of rejection and stigmatisation by their communities.
The women, who are currently under police protection, include four of the 25 abducted from Allawa along the Pandogari-Allawa road in February 2024.
They were rescued near Kagara in Rafi Local Government Area while being moved from Palu-Waya in Shiroro LGA after one of them raised an alarm that led to their interception and the arrest of the driver transporting them.
Many of the rescued victims were found either pregnant or nursing infants believed to have been fathered by their captors. Yet, despite their freedom, some say they feel safer with their abductors than in their own communities, where they expect to face shame and social exclusion.
Malam Hassan Aliyu Karofi, Director of Partnership and Communication at the Development Research and Projects Centre, attributed their response to the absence of a comprehensive reintegration framework.
“There is a critical need for a response mechanism to support service providers, government officials, and security agencies in addressing the challenges these survivors will face upon reintegration,” Karofi said.
He warned that without community engagement and psychosocial support, survivors may continue to view captivity as a lesser evil compared to the stigma awaiting them at home.
The communities themselves have shown hesitation in receiving the women unless they undergo mental health evaluations and deradicalisation processes, further heightening their sense of isolation.
Barrister Mario Mann, Permanent Secretary of the Niger State Ministry of Justice, described the women’s willingness to return to their abductors as a psychological response to sustained manipulation.
“Psychologically, their brains and minds have been worked upon; they have been made to believe that life there is okay for them. Some of them have lost their minds and can no longer think straight,” she said.
“This is why they believe life is better there than in their communities, where they would be stigmatised. Several of them have forgotten what their lives were before they were abducted.”
Mann also highlighted the challenge of reintegration within marriages, noting that spouses may struggle to accept their wives back without suspicion or emotional distance.
“When the women eventually return, the issue of trust and the issue of accepting her will be a big war. This is where a lot of psychological war needs to be focused on,” she added.
Echoing this concern, the Amirah of the Federation of Muslim Women’s Associations in Nigeria (FOMWAN), Niger State Chapter, Hajiya Kulu Abdullahi, stressed that both survivors and their communities need structured psychosocial interventions.
“Where the survivors came from, they had faced certain trauma, as it is a strange environment where they have stayed for a long time. So it is expected that they will be stigmatised by their communities. There is a need to also sensitise the communities not to stigmatise them when they finally settle back in the communities,” she said.
As officials and civil society groups call for urgent action, the situation highlights a critical gap in Nigeria’s counter-terrorism and recovery strategies: the need for survivor-centered rehabilitation that goes beyond rescue to address long-term healing, community reintegration, and mental health support.
