More than 100 women are working with security agents in Borno state to thwart Boko Haram attacks. People gather at the scene of a suicide car bomb blast in Maiduguri, northeast Nigeria [Jossy Ola/AP]
Maiduguri, Nigeria - Boko Haram killed the two most important people in Komi Kaje's life within two days.
In November 2015, Komi Akaji, her 46-year-old brother, was shot dead by Boko Haram fighters.
"There were seven students killed. When I got there, I saw he was shot twice in the head," Kaje said.
The days of mourning followed according to tradition. Kaje was broken but Peter Adam, her 35-year-old boyfriend, provided some relief. On a Saturday afternoon, Adam observed mourning rites with Kaje's family and shared lunch with her.
But Boko Haram attacked again, turning a visit of solace into sorrow.
"They shot him in his chest and head and he fell inside a ditch. The bullet touched his brain," said Kaje, her eyes in tears.
Kaje has tried hard to forget the killings but military sirens, the sound of gunfire, and constant exposure to the areas where her loved ones were shot dead were enough to provoke new trauma.
If she moved to a new city, her parents thought, it might help her heal. Kaje relocated to Abuja, Nigeria's capital, to spend some recovery time.
But Kaje realised the solution wasn't to run, "because Boko Haram was everywhere".
Maybe, Kaje thought, if she could play a role in defeating the fighters some healing would come. At the time, the armed group held many towns and villages captive as part of a so-called "Islamic caliphate".
Boko Haram since 2009 has killed more than 27,000 people and forced another two million out of their homes.
Kaje Komi searches a woman entering a local market in Maiduguri, northeast Nigeria [Orji Sunday/Al Jazeera]
Fighting Boko Haram
When Kaje introduced the idea of joining the fight against the rebellion to her friends and family, it was received with mockery and indifference. "How can a woman fight Boko Haram?" she was told.
However, other women aside from Kaje, such as 45-year-old Idris Fati, shared her ambition to flush the fighters out of Maiduguri.
Kaje and Fati joined the Civilian Joint Taskforce (C-JTF) - a civilian militia drawn from communities affected by Boko Haram - that partners with and supports the military in its operations.
C-JTF had been an all-male force but there were tasks best-suited for women.
