The Senate has called on the Federal Government to discontinue its policy of rehabilitating and reintegrating repentant Boko Haram members and other insurgents, arguing that the programme has failed to stem the country’s worsening insecurity.
The resolution followed a motion sponsored by the Chairman of the Senate Committee on Army, Senator Abdulaziz Yar’Adua (APC, Katsina), on the escalating attacks, abductions and killings of serving and retired military personnel, including former Director of Defence Information, retired Major General Rabe Abubakar.
During plenary on Tuesday, lawmakers condemned the rehabilitation of Boko Haram insurgents, bandits, kidnappers and other criminals under the government’s deradicalisation and reintegration programmes, with several senators linking the persistent insecurity in northern Nigeria to the release of repentant criminals back into society.
The Senate also expressed concern over what it described as a disturbing pattern of attacks targeting serving and retired military officers, warning that the trend poses a serious threat to national security because many of the victims previously occupied sensitive intelligence, operational and command positions.
Among the incidents highlighted were the killing of retired Major General Richard Duru in Owerri after a reported $50,000 ransom was paid, the murder of retired Brigadier General O.M. Harlord Udokwere in Abuja, the 56-day captivity of former NYSC Director-General, retired Brigadier General Maharazu Tsiga, and the death of retired Major Aja while in captivity in Kogi State.
Lawmakers observed a minute of silence in honour of Major General Rabe Abubakar and other victims of terrorism, insurgency, banditry, kidnapping and violent crimes across the country.
The Senate further urged the Federal Government to ensure that those responsible for the attacks are apprehended and prosecuted, while calling on security and intelligence agencies to strengthen intelligence gathering, surveillance, threat assessments and early warning systems.
It also called for the accelerated deployment of modern security technologies to combat terrorism, banditry and kidnapping across the country.
Nigeria launched Operation Safe Corridor in 2016 as a deradicalisation programme for former Boko Haram fighters who voluntarily surrendered. Initially introduced in the North-East before expanding to parts of the North-West, the initiative is built on five pillars: disarmament, demobilisation, deradicalisation, rehabilitation and reintegration.
According to government figures, nearly 10,000 former Boko Haram fighters had been reintegrated into society by 2017, while Borno State reported that about 9,680 ex-fighters had passed through the programme.
Although government officials have described the initiative as a critical component of Nigeria’s counter-insurgency strategy, concerns have persisted over reports that some rehabilitated individuals allegedly returned to terrorist activities.
Reacting to the Senate’s resolution, security analyst and Associate Professor at the University of Namibia, Dr. Babayo Sule, described the call to scrap the programme as “unfortunate” and potentially counterproductive.
“The information or the news I’m just seeing on the resolution of the Senate that the federal government should stop the rehabilitation and deradicalisation policy against violent armed groups in Nigeria, including Boko Haram and bandits, is an unfortunate suggestion,” Sule said.
“To me, it seems like there is no security expert in the Senate, or if there is, he might be overwhelmed.”
He argued that rehabilitation, reconciliation, disarmament and deradicalisation are internationally recognised components of counter-insurgency strategies and should not be abandoned because of shortcomings in implementation.
“Our research, which lasted almost five years, showed that something is wrong and it is not heading toward the anticipated results. But that notwithstanding does not in any way mean that it should be abandoned or abolished. I think it is not a wise choice,” he said.
Instead, Sule urged lawmakers to investigate the programme, summon security chiefs to explain operational challenges and provide the logistics needed to strengthen Nigeria’s security architecture.
“What needs to be done is to look at what is wrong, how to amend it and how to make it better. It is even better to expand the programme rather than discard it,” he added.
The security expert also rejected claims that the deradicalisation programme was responsible for the resurgence of insecurity, attributing the country’s security challenges to factors including politicisation, negligence, obsolete security infrastructure and corruption.
He warned that completely abandoning the programme could further worsen insecurity across the country.
“If the government stops deradicalisation and rehabilitation, it means even the little pathway that has been achieved in terms of peace will be broken. Since there is no capacity so far to overwhelm the terrorists and peaceful negotiation is being discarded, insecurity will escalate further, and we will witness worse than what we are witnessing today,” Sule said.
