Nigerians Tell Federal Government Terrorists Cannot Truly Repent

•Stop wasting money rehabilitating them

•Help victims who suffered

By Dayo Johnson, Regional Editor, South West; Olasunkanmi Akoni; Samuel Oyadongha; Rotimi Ojomoyela; Egufe Yafugborhi, Ozioruva Aliu; James Ogunnnaike; Adeola Badru; Steve Oko; Ndahi Marama; Ochuko Akuopha; Emem Idio & Uko Etim

In 2016, former President Muhammadu Buhari introduced the controversial Operation Safe Corridor, which aimed to reintegrate ex‑insurgents into society. He argued that the reintegration of deradicalised combatants would foster sustainable peace, secure the country, and bring an end to the decade‑long insurgency.

On 23 March 2018, while accepting 105 schoolgirls rescued from the Government Girls Science and Technical College (GGSTC) in Dapchi, Yobe State, Buhari announced that his administration would offer amnesty to Boko Haram members who were willing to surrender and embrace peace. He stated that the amnesty applied to those who surrendered “unconditionally” and that the government was prepared to rehabilitate and reintegrate these “repentant” individuals into society. The goal, he said, was to reduce insecurity, save lives lost during the conflict, and redirect funds previously spent on weapons toward infrastructure development.

Despite public outcry, the Borno State Government, on Democracy Day (13 June 2026), reintegrated an additional batch of 720 men, 992 spouses, and 2,050 children who had surrendered to the troops. Many of them had been deradicalised, disarmed, rehabilitated at the Hajj Camp in Maiduguri, and participated in various skills‑acquisition programmes. These new categories of repentant insurgents were required to swear an oath with the Holy Quran before being reunited with their communities across Borno State. The state government has so far reintegrated 9,680 repented terrorists.

Many Nigerians have expressed outrage at the policy, arguing that terrorists cannot truly repent. They claim the government rewards criminals at the expense of victims who suffered at their hands and that rehabilitating terrorists could undermine soldiers’ morale on the battlefield.

Execution of reintegration policy dangerously flawed—Prof Okaba
Speaking on the development, the former President of the Ijaw National Congress (INC), Prof. Benjamin Okaba, said: “These are not just policy questions; they touch on the very soul of our national life, justice, and security. The idea of a terrorist genuinely repenting is the most difficult hurdle for any Nigerian to accept. The pain is still too fresh; victims and communities are understandably traumatised and view this as prioritizing perpetrators over those who have suffered.”

However, as a scholar, I must look beyond emotion. Operation Safe Corridor is not an amnesty. It is a strategic non‑kinetic counter‑terrorism tool. Launched in 2016, it targets ‘low‑risk’ individuals—those coerced, abducted, or who surrendered voluntarily. They undergo a rigorous 6‑ to 12‑month programme of psychological counselling, vocational training, and religious reorientation, with authorities claiming a recidivism rate of less than 2%. Is the policy working? The jury is still out. While authorities cite over 124,000 surrenders since 2023 and a low recidivism rate, independent data on long‑term outcomes is scarce. Reintegration, the community acceptance phase, remains critically underfunded and poorly executed. To soldiers sacrificing their lives and victims grieving their losses, it feels like a reward for violence. This perception is a failure of communication and transparency. We cannot afford blind trust, but we also cannot afford to close the door on every single person who has been radicalised. The policy is strategically necessary, but its current execution is dangerously flawed. We must judge it not by the ceremonies in Gombe, but by the safety of our communities five years from now.”

Any identified terrorist should be neutralised—Ambakederimo
For the Convener of the South South Reawakening Group, Elder Joseph Ambakederimo, he said: “My concern is that we have a former Chief of Defence Staff who is the current Minister of Defence, General Christopher Musa, who does not believe we should give terrorists a second chance and thinks all terrorists, should be neutralised, while the present Chief of Defence Staff, General Olufemi Oluyede, equates