800 Boko Haram militants surrender to Nigerian military, General claims

The Nigerian army previously announced the establishment of a rehabilitation camp for former Boko Haram militants

Brigadier General Rabe Abubakar said 'about 800 of the Boko Haram members have surrendered to the military' (OLATUNJI OMIRIN/AFP/Getty Images)

At least 800 members of the Boko Haram terror group have reportedly surrendered to the Nigerian military in the last three weeks.

Boko Haram, whose name means "Western education is forbidden", previously pledged allegiance to Isis. Since 2009, the insurgency has killed around 20,000 people and made 2.5 million homeless.

They were also responsible for abducting around 270 schoolgirls from a school in Chibok in April 2014.

According to a report from the Institute for Economics and Peace released towards the end of last year, Boko Haram overtook Isis in 2014 to become the deadliest terror group in the world.

Brigadier General Rabe Abubakar, acting director of defence information, told local newspaper The Punch "about 800 of the Boko Haram members have surrendered to the military".

The statement came a day after the Defence Headquarters announced the establishment of a rehabilitation camp for former Boko Haram militants.

The army did not give details of how the camp was run, but said insurgents would undergo vocational training and eventually be reintegrated into society.

Last week, the Nigerian Army said it had rescued over 11,000 captives of Boko Haram in the last month.

Although joint operations between Nigeria and neighbouring countries succeeded in driving the militant Islamists from many of its strongholds last year, the terror group has recently stepped up cross-border attacks and suicide bombings.

It has become known for its use of female suicide bombers. In February, a teenage girl ripped off her suicide vest and fled from her handlers after being sent to blow up the Dikwa refugee camp in northeastern Nigeria.

Her two companions went through with the attack and killed at least 58 people.