“A leopard cannot change its spot”: a randomized controlled trial of a media intervention to aid public receptiveness toward reintegration in Nigeria

Reintegrating those once affiliated with terrorism poses significant challenges. Yet a gap remains in interventions to improve public attitudes, due to a poor understanding of the rationale behind reintegration programmes and the need for greater receptiveness to discourage reoffending. This study makes an original contribution to empirically test the likelihood of a novel intervention called Prosociality, Empathy and Awareness Communication to aid rEintegration (PEACE) to improve attitude towards reintegration. A total of 70 participants were recruited and randomised into the experimental group, which received the PEACE intervention, or the waitlist control group. The study found that prior to the intervention, participants held negative views towards former rehabilitated Boko Haram members due to a perceived sense of injustice and alienation characterized by poor awareness of the government reintegration programme. However, participants in the experimental group who took part in the PEACE intervention demonstrated greater willingness to accept former rehabilitated prospective members back following awareness of the rationale behind the government reintegration program, while those in the control group’s attitudes towards reintegration remained unchanged. The finding provides important insights into the significance of targeted media communication in improving attitudes towards reintegration relevant for policy globally and recommends a fully powered trial to determine the intervention’s effectiveness in large populations.