Nigerian Women Talk 1,000 Gang Members Out of Violence

Mohammed Abdulhamid can barely raise his hand to wave. A gang attack in 2023 left most of his fingers mutilated, a permanent scar from years of street violence in Maiduguri, northeastern Nigeria.

Now he spends his days doing something unexpected. He's trying to stop teenagers from making the same choices that cost him his livelihood as a carpenter.

For years, youth gangs called "Marlians" have terrorized neighborhoods across Maiduguri with knives, machetes, and homemade weapons. Residents lived in fear as rival groups fought over territory, snatching phones and robbing passengers on commercial tricycles.

The violence grew so severe that in 2023, the state governor ordered a massive crackdown. But arrests weren't enough to break the cycle.

Community leaders saw something deeper fueling the gangs. Borno is the birthplace of the Boko Haram rebellion, which has killed over 35,000 people and displaced two million across the Lake Chad region in the past decade.

"They have grown up in an environment of violence simply because they have seen it occur constantly since they were very young children," says Hassana Ibrahim Waziri, Executive Director of Unified Members for Women Advancement.

Instead of treating gang members only as criminals, local women tried a different approach. Starting in 2018, they began holding twice-weekly conversations with gang leaders in 10 volatile communities.

"We held bi-weekly conversations with them, making them understand they could do better things to have a sustainable future," Waziri explains. The goal wasn't punishment but persuasion.

Women like Fatima Tahir took charge of weekly peace circles every Sunday. They trained other women to monitor disputes, track drug use hotspots, and alert community leaders before tensions turned deadly.

At first, men resisted the idea of women mediating gang conflicts. But attitudes shifted as residents watched violence decrease in neighborhoods where women led dialogue efforts.

The Ripple Effect

Community leaders estimate over 1,000 gang members have participated in the peace circles. Women now work quietly behind the scenes across Maiduguri's most dangerous areas, settling disputes between rival groups before they spiral into bloodshed.

The approach combines dialogue with practical support. Women representatives in each neighborhood stay in regular contact with police, military, and civilian security forces, creating a network that catches conflicts early.

Mohammed is one of many former gang members now working for peace instead of violence. Despite his injuries, he talks with younger boys in his community, sharing his story as a warning.

"Having understood the consequences, I now ensure our younger ones stay away from fighting because it's difficult to leave once you get into it," he says.

In a region where conflict has defined a generation, these women are proving that conversation can be more powerful than crackdowns.