Legal-Education Plus Trauma-informed Therapy to Improve Community Acceptance and Reintegration of Repentant Terrorists in Nigeria

Legal-Education Plus Trauma-informed Therapy to Improve Community Acceptance and Reintegration of Repentant Terrorists in Nigeria: A Pilot Randomised Controlled Trial

Terrorism is an issue of global concern, and reintegrating repentant terrorists, including their families, has often proved challenging considering the damages done by the terrorist group. Despite Boko Haram atrocities in Nigeria, the focus seems directed toward the repentant terrorists with limited attention to the communities, the trauma they suffered, and their involvement in the design of reintegration programmes. There is also limited community awareness of legal support channels to foster positive reintegration (Ike et al., 2021). The implication is that it risks undermining the social context that informs successful reintegration, improves acceptance, and reduces reoffending. However, there appears to be limited research on this important policy problem in Nigeria. Our study proposes to fill this gap by contributing to the research initiative through a novel cross-disciplinary intervention drawing on law and psychology entitled Legal Education plus Trauma-informed Therapy (LETiT) to improve community acceptance and reintegration of repentant terrorists in Nigeria.

Inclusion Criteria:

• ages 18 - 85 years
• able to give consent
• able to understand and speak English
• score a minimum of 5 on Trauma Screening Questionnaire
• residents of designated communities of intervention (Adamawa, Maiduguri, and Plateau states)
• available for the study and follow up at 3- and 6-months post-intervention

Exclusion Criteria:

• less than 18 or above 85 years
• unable to give consent
• clinically diagnosed with severe PTSD/suicidal ideations or undergoing treatment
• temporary or non-residents who are unlikely to be available for follow up