Senate condemns rehabilitation of repentant Boko Haram terrorists, to meet Tinubu over worsening insecurity
The Senate on Tuesday urged the Federal Government to discontinue the rehabilitation and reintegration of repentant Boko Haram members, while resolving to engage President Bola Tinubu over the country’s worsening security situation.
The resolutions were adopted during plenary following the consideration of a motion sponsored by Senator Abdulaziz Yar’Adua (Katsina Central) on the abduction and killing of retired Major General Rabe Abubakar and other military personnel by suspected bandits.
During the debate, Senator Joseph Ikpea (Edo Central) proposed an additional prayer urging the Federal Government to abolish the rehabilitation programme for repentant Boko Haram members. The proposal was supported by Senator Adams Oshiomhole (Edo North), who described the practice as illogical and called for legislation to bring it to an end.
Deputy Senate President Barau Jibrin, who presided over the session, put the proposal to a voice vote, and it was adopted by the majority of senators.
The Senate also approved a proposal by Minority Leader Abba Moro calling on the leadership of the upper chamber to constitute a delegation to interface with President Tinubu over the country’s worsening security challenges.
Presenting the motion, Yar’Adua, a retired army colonel, expressed concern over the increasing wave of terrorism, banditry and kidnappings across the country, warning that criminal groups had become more sophisticated and were increasingly targeting military personnel.
He condemned the abduction and killing of retired Major General Rabe Abubakar and other security officers, describing the attacks as a grave threat to national security.
The lawmaker further urged the Federal Government to accelerate the deployment of modern security technologies, including unmanned aerial systems, geospatial intelligence, integrated command-and-control platforms and advanced communication systems, to strengthen efforts against terrorism, banditry and kidnapping.
He also called on the Senate leadership to send a delegation to condole with the family of the late military officer, the Katsina State Government and the Nigerian Army.
Nigeria’s rehabilitation programme, implemented under Operation Safe Corridor, was introduced in 2016 to deradicalise, rehabilitate and reintegrate repentant insurgents who voluntarily surrender after screening by security agencies.
While the Federal Government and military authorities have maintained that the initiative encourages defections and weakens terrorist groups, the programme has continued to generate criticism from victims, civil society organisations and security experts, who argue that many affected communities remain unwilling to accept former insurgents and have questioned the effectiveness of the reintegration process.
Although the Senate’s resolution is not legally binding, it represents the position of the upper chamber and will be communicated to the Presidency for consideration. Any decision to abolish or significantly alter the rehabilitation programme would require executive action and, where necessary, legislative amendments.