Daud Olatunji
A former Director-General of the National Intelligence Agency, Ambassador Ahmed Rufai, has recounted the disturbing experience of a rescued Chibok schoolgirl who reportedly wanted to return to her Boko Haram husband despite being reunited with her parents.
Rufai disclosed that the woman, who had spent years in the custody of Boko Haram insurgents, had become emotionally attached to members of the terrorist group, making her reintegration into society particularly challenging.
He shared the experience while speaking at an international security forum in Qatar, where he examined the complexities surrounding the rescue, rehabilitation and reintegration of victims of terrorism.
According to the former intelligence chief, the woman had been married to three Boko Haram fighters during her captivity, with her first two husbands reportedly killed in combat.
He explained that a Boko Haram zonal commander, who had assumed the role of a father figure to her, arranged new husbands for her whenever her previous spouses died.
Rufai said the woman was eventually rescued and taken to Abuja, where she underwent medical examinations and intelligence debriefing.
Recounting the circumstances surrounding her captivity, he said the woman spoke favourably about the insurgent commander who had taken responsibility for her welfare and marital arrangements.
He said, “She had a godfather who was a zonal commander of the terrorist group, who adopted her as a daughter. Each time she lost her husband in the fight, he would be the one to get her a new husband.”
The former NIA boss said what particularly surprised security officials was the woman’s reaction after she was reunited with her family.
According to him, although she was happy to see her parents, she was unwilling to remain with them and expressed a desire to return to the insurgents.
“She loved them. She wanted to see them, and so on. And then the third interesting thing is that we subjected her to medical checks and found her to be very healthy. But the interesting thing is that she wanted to go back,” Rufai said.
He said the experience illustrated the psychological and social complications that could arise when victims spent prolonged periods in captivity, developed relationships with their abductors and became accustomed to life within terrorist organisations.
The disclosure comes against the backdrop of the April 14, 2014 abduction of 276 schoolgirls from Government Girls Secondary School, Chibok, Borno State, by Boko Haram insurgents.
The mass kidnapping sparked international outrage and the #BringBackOurGirls campaign, with several of the abducted girls either escaping or being released after years in captivity.
Some of the girls were reportedly forced into marriages with insurgents, while others gave birth to children during their captivity.
Rufai, however, stressed that kidnapping by terrorist groups was driven by different motivations, including ideology, political objectives and financial interests, adding that security agencies must understand the circumstances behind each abduction before determining the appropriate response.
He explained that some terrorist organisations resorted to kidnapping to attract international attention and publicise their political or ideological demands rather than seek financial rewards.
“In most cases, it was political, to make their case known,” he said.
The former intelligence chief said kidnappings motivated by financial demands required a different strategy, including discreet negotiations through trusted intermediaries.
“In a situation where they really needed money, they would let it be known, and there, in that kind of situation, you have to use what we discussed yesterday: hostage diplomacy, and it has to be through back channels,” he stated.
He added that such negotiations should be handled carefully, with credible intermediaries who had established relationships with the abductors, warning against publicising sensitive details that could jeopardise efforts to secure the release of hostages.
Rufai also drew a distinction between ideologically motivated terrorist organisations and criminal kidnapping networks, noting that the latter were primarily driven by financial interests rather than religious or political beliefs.
“They are not ideologically driven. They have no ideology. They want to enjoy life. They are not looking forward to dying and going to paradise. Their paradise is here,” he said.
He described kidnapping for ransom as a major security challenge confronting Nigeria, adding that criminal networks involved in the practice were also linked to other offences, including arms trafficking, vehicle theft and attacks on security personnel.
The former NIA director said tackling the menace required intelligence-led operations, effective negotiations and a clear understanding of the motivations and structures of the groups involved
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