Security experts, civil society organisations and victims of terrorism have expressed disappointment over the reintegration of repentant Boko Haram terrorists into society at the expense of the victims.
The accused the government of pampering the ex-terrorists while their victims languished in Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) camps across the country.
A security consultant, Abdullahi Mohammed Jabi, faulted the reintegration of 5000 repentant terrorists to the communities they once rained terror on.
He said the gesture undermined the sacrifices of patriotic Nigerians who have paid the supreme price in defence of the nation.
Recently, 22 soldiers, including a commanding officer, were killed in Borno on January 25, 2025, during an offensive at a renowned terrorist enclave known as the Timbuktu Triangle after the terrorists deployed suicide bombers in explosive vehicles to ward off the troops.
However, following the revelation at the recent meeting of Lake Chad Governors in Borno that over 5000 repentant terrorists have been reunited with their families, Jabi said it was an affront on the faces of these victims and fallen heroes and described the reintegration as an error in policy implementation.
He said, “What we should be doing for those criminals is to pay them back in their own coin. It should be an eye for an eye if we are serious about eradicating this terrorist mayhem against the citizens of this country. I’m not in support of this so-called politically motivated reintegration of criminals into society.
“We are getting it wrong. These people do not mean well for the country and the survival of Nigerians. They compounded the county’s challenges.”
Jabi further said owing to the activities of terrorists, farmers who are supposed to produce food for the nation are in IDP camps living in difficult conditions.
“The federal government should take a holistic decision on whether they want to pet them using carrot and stick or get them out of the system completely.
“If we are going to address this issue, we should treat them the same way they have been treating innocent citizens of this country. They must not be allowed to exist with innocent citizens.
“Reintegrating them means our system is no longer working. Why are you reintegrating them when innocent citizens are jobless on the streets? We must rethink that policy direction for the betterment of this country,” he said.
A Yobe native, who does not want to be mentioned for fear of reprisal, also expressed disappointment with the federal and state governments over the reintegration programme.
He said the federal government should have ensured total defeat of the terrorists before embarking on such a move.
He said, “In my candid opinion, they should have waited; after the total defeat of the enemy, then the issue of reintegration would commence,”
For his part, the executive director of the Civil Society Legislative Advocacy Centre (CISLAC), Auwal Musa Rafsanjani, said the reintegration of repentant terrorists without resettling and compensating the victims of terrorism is unacceptable.
“CISLAC does not support this reintegration because, first and foremost, people committed atrocities – they killed, they destroyed – and those who are victims are not being rehabilitated, but the people who committed these atrocities are being rehabilitated and reintegrated into our communities, and even the security sector is at a perilous phase, and that is why we do not think that is the best approach to improving security in the North East and Nigeria generally,” Rafsanjani said,
He instead called on the government to prosecute all those who participated in the crimes against humanity and ensure justice is done.
“These types of persons, instead of facing justice for the atrocities they committed, you’re rewarding them. Nigeria generally should rethink the reintegration programme. We cannot just absolve them of their crimes against Nigerians and humanity,” he added.
Sanusi Isa, Amnesty International’s country director, also spoke in similar vein: he said those who commit crimes should face the law in a fair trial.
He added that both victims, survivors and their families deserve justice.
One of the leaders of Chibok community, Mutah Nkeki, described the idea as injustice orchestrated by the government against Chibok indigenes and the entire victims of terrorism.
He alleged that the Chibok schoolgirls who were abducted by Boko Haram in 2014 had been denied access to the leaders and their parents since they escaped from captivity.
He said the trauma of the incident has led to the death of many parents, adding that those who are still alive were not allowed access to their daughters who escaped or were rescued from captivity.
“What is happening in the North East, particularly in the Borno State, is injustice promoted by the government. Injustice targeted particularly at Chibok; we give glory to God that everybody from Chibok has not died from trauma or heart attack, even though a good number have lost their lives because of what the government is imposing on us.
“About 19 or 20 of our daughters that have either been rescued or escaped on their own from terrorists have been caged by the government, kept away from us; even the parents cannot have access to them, not to talk of us the leaders of Chibok community.
“We have been hearing from the grapevine that even the so-called repentant terrorists are cohabited with our daughters. It appears the government is legalising the calamity that befell Chibok. For more than three years now, some of them have escaped but we can’t get access to them. Maybe the government will coerce the parents by giving them either N5,000 or N10,000 or so to come and see them.
“You know villagers now; they are vulnerable because Boko Haram has taken over their farms. In all Chibok villages, you cannot farm, so these people are vulnerable due to lack of food. So if the government brings any amount, they will see it as money and act their script, like saying ‘come and see your daughter’. This is just for them to see with their eyes, but they cannot access them, so we, the leaders of Chibok, have been going through this kind of traumatic situation. The so-called repentant Boko Haram members are glorified children of the government. How can somebody abduct children, kill the parents, and the government brings the same person, build a house for him and nothing for us, the victims,”.
When contacted, the Borno State commissioner for information and internal security, Prof Usman Tar, denied both allegations.
He said that contrary to the allegations, the state government had committed considerable resources to resettle communities.
“The Borno State government published sustainable solutions for internal security last year. In that document, we provided detailed support to communities affected by insurgency.
“Nobody is taking care of repentant terrorists at the expense of victims. Our amount on affected communities outweighs what we spend on caring for repentant insurgents. Most people we release are farmers caught in the line of fire. At the same time, the hardcore insurgents are kept in the camp and provided with survival resources, so nobody is taking care of repentant insurgents at the expense of victims.”
Speaking on the allegation that rescued Chibok girls are denied access to their parents, he said, “That is not true; many of the girls have been returned to their homes. Remember that most of these girls have grown to adulthood when they return. So, the Borno State government cannot force any girl who refuses to return to their community for any reason. They might decide to stay in the city. Note that you can’t force an adult to stay anywhere by the Constitution.
“Once we process them, we release them to go back and live their lives. Once they do second chance schooling, we release them to live their lives. No one has denied access to any girl. By the time the girls were abducted, they were minors, but by the time they were released, they were adults, fully grown adult women, so the Borno State government does not have any authority to force any girl to go anywhere. Their parents can come anytime and meet them anywhere they are staying,” the commissioner said.
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