The Senate has called on the Federal Government to discontinue its policy of rehabilitating and reintegrating repentant Boko Haram members and other insurgents into society, arguing that the programme has failed to improve Nigeria’s security situation.
The resolution followed a motion sponsored by the Chairman of the Senate Committee on Army, Senator Abdulaziz Yar’Adua (APC, Katsina), on the rising att@cks, abductions, and k!llings of serving and retired military personnel, including former Director of Defence Information, retired Major General Rabe Abubakar.
During plenary on Tuesday, July 7, lawmakers condemned the rehabilitation of Boko Haram insurgents, baπdits, k!dnappers, and other cr!minals under the government’s deradicalisation and rehabilitation programmes. Several senators linked the continued insecurity in northern Nigeria to the reintegration of repentant insurgents into society.
The Senate also expressed concern over what it described as a disturbing pattern of att@cks targeting serving and retired military officers, warning that the trend poses a serious th√eat to national security because many of the victims previously held sensitive intelligence, operational, and command positions.
Among the cases highlighted were:
The k!lling 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.
The death of retired Major Aja while in captivity in Kogi State.
The Senate observed a minute of silence in honour of Major General Rabe Abubakar and other victims of t3rrorism, insurgency, baπditry, k!dnapping, and vi0lent crimes across the country.
Lawmakers urged the Federal Government to ensure those responsible for the att@cks are arrested and prosecuted. They also called on security and intelligence agencies to strengthen intelligence gathering, surveillance, threat assessment, and early warning systems, while accelerating the deployment of modern security technologies to combat terr0rism, baπditry, and k!dnapping.
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 an important component of Nigeria’s counter-insurgency strategy, concerns have persisted over reports that some rehabilitated individuals allegedly returned to terr0rist groups.
However, security analyst and Associate Professor at the University of Namibia, Dr. Babayo Sule, criticized the Senate’s resolution, describing it as “unfortunate” and potentially counterproductive.