Exit from Violent Extremism: The Rationality of Terrorist Disengagement Among Ex-Boko Haram Combatants in Nigeria
Exit from Violent Extremism: The Rationality of Terrorist Disengagement Among Ex-Boko Haram Combatants in Nigeria
Promise Frank Ejiofor Timothy Ali Yohanna a Centre of Development Studies, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UKb Department of Political Science, Nasarawa State University, Keffi, NigeriaPromise Frank Ejiofor is a PhD candidate in Development Studies at the Centre of Development Studies, University of Cambridge and a Gates Cambridge Scholar. He holds an MPhil in Social Anthropology from Trinity College, Cambridge, and an MPhil and MA in Political Science with distinctions from Central European University (CEU). His research interests lie in conflict and security studies with a regional focus on Africa. He is a recipient of the Conflict Research Society’s 2025 Cedric Smith Prize for the best piece of peace and conflict research by a PhD candidate. His research articles have been published in theBritish Journal of Politics and International Relations, Studies in Conflict and Terrorism, Critical Studies on Terrorism, Journal of Ethnic and Migration Studies, Ethnic and Racial Studies, Ethnopolitics, Nations and Nationalism, Nationalities Papers, Small Wars and Insurgencies, Civil Wars, Dynamics of Asymmetric Conflict, and Review of African Political Economy, amongst others. He is a member of the editorial board of Ethnopolitics.Timothy Ali Yohanna is a PhD candidate in Political Science at the Department of Political Science, Nasarawa State University, Keffi, Nigeria. He holds an MSc in Research and Public Policy from the University of Jos, Nigeria. His research interests lie at the intersection of conflict, peacebuilding, and security, with a specialised focus on terrorism and counterterrorism strategies. A technical expert with over 13 years of experience in northeastern Nigeria, Timothy has dedicated his career to community-based research and the coordination of survivor-centred programmes. He has provided strategic leadership on major donor-funded initiatives, including the WPHF-Spotlight Initiative, EU-funded projects, and Creative-USAID research projects. His work in the Lake Chad region involves supervising community-led actions to integrate human rights principles into counter-terrorism frameworks and leading participatory advocacy and sensitisation campaigns. His research and practical insights contribute to academic discourses on terrorism and counterterrorism.