Tinubu Insists on Reintegrating Ex-Terrorists Despite Senate Rejection and Public Outrage

Just one week after the Senate passed a resolution demanding an immediate halt to the rehabilitation and reintegration of repentant Boko Haram and ISWAP terrorists, the Federal Government has unveiled a fresh operational framework to expand the programme. The National Counter Terrorism Centre (NCTC) introduced new Standard Operating Procedures for Disarmament, Demobilisation and Reintegration (DDR) at a validation workshop in Abuja on Monday, with plans to pilot the scheme in Kaduna, Katsina and Zamfara states. National Coordinator Major General Adamu Laka defended the move, arguing that military operations alone cannot resolve Nigeria’s security challenges and that the framework would strengthen accountability and transparency among implementing agencies.

The timing could not be more insulting to the victims of terrorism and their families. On July 7, 2026, the Senate overwhelmingly rejected any policy aimed at rehabilitating terrorists, following an emotional debate triggered by the abduction and killing of retired Major General Rabiu Abubakar, the former Director of Defence Information. Senator Adams Oshiomhole argued passionately that rehabilitation and pardon programmes for terrorists amount to an insult to their victims and a reward for criminality. Senator Osita Izunaso stressed that the Nigerian public expects concrete judicial outcomes rather than routine administrative appeals. The Senate resolved to send a high-powered delegation to interface directly with President Tinubu on the deteriorating security situation. The House of Representatives joined the Senate the following day, arguing that those who invade communities, kidnap innocent Nigerians and kill security personnel do not deserve rehabilitation.

President Tinubu has chosen to ignore them. The NCTC’s rollout of the DDR framework is a direct affront to the legislative branch and a clear signal that this administration is dangerously soft on terror. Since its inception in 2016 under the Buhari administration, Operation Safe Corridor has graduated over 2,600 low-risk former combatants from the Mallam Sidi camp in Gombe State and over 9,680 former associates from the Bulumkutu Rehabilitation Centre in Maiduguri. A June 2026 update showed that 720 men, along with 992 spouses and over 2,000 children previously associated with Boko Haram insurgents, are in structured reintegration processes. In April 2026 alone, 744 former terrorists graduated from the programme.

Reintegrating terrorists without accountability is not reconciliation; it is facilitation. The African Democratic Congress has warned that policies appearing to prioritise rehabilitation over accountability could undermine justice and embolden perpetrators. The party questioned the absence of transparency in the process, noting that Nigerians do not know who has been investigated, who has been prosecuted, or on what basis individuals are deemed safe for reintegration. “Reintegration without justice is not reconciliation; it is injustice. It sends the wrong signal to victims who are still waiting for closure,” the ADC stated. Anglican Bishop of Enugu Diocese, Rt Rev Professor Samuel Obiajulu Ike, also condemned the policy, insisting that those involved in terrorism should be prosecuted rather than rehabilitated. He argued that in a society where a man is sentenced to death for defending himself against terrorists, terrorists must also be made to face trial for their heinous crimes.

The government’s insistence on this programme defies all logic. Since 2023, the programme has continued unabated despite mounting evidence that graduates may be leaking intelligence to their former comrades. Security experts have warned of recidivism risk, noting that reintegration programmes have often focused on ex-combatants without sufficiently integrating the perspectives of the communities receiving them. Victims of terrorism have expressed outrage, with some vowing to seek court orders to halt the programme, describing the release of former insurgents as an “epitome of fraud” and a mockery of the justice system.

President Tinubu’s determination to push ahead with this programme while Nigerian soldiers are being killed and communities are being terrorised is a betrayal of every victim of terrorism. The government claims to be prosecuting a war against terror, yet it appears eager to reintroduce insurgents into society without clear processes for justice. This is not balance. It is a dangerous failure of judgment and political accommodation taken too far. The Senate has spoken. The victims have cried out. The Nigerian people have rejected this policy. Yet Tinubu presses on. If this administration cannot take a clear stand against its enemy, it cannot defeat it. And if it continues to reward terrorism with rehabilitation, it is not fighting terror at all.

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