Outrage trails reintegration of 744 ex-terrorists

There is a growing outrage over the graduation and planned reintegration of 744 former terrorists under the Federal Government’s De-radicalisation, Rehabilitation and Reintegration programme, Operation Safe Corridor.

The beneficiaries, drawn largely from conflict-affected states, completed the programme on Thursday, with 597 of them from Borno State, while others came from Adamawa, Yobe, Kano, and several other states across the country.

The development has triggered widespread debate over transparency, accountability, and the impact of reintegration on victims of violent extremism.

Reacting, the President of the Nigerian Bar Association, Afam Osigwe, said the policy, though not inherently bad, raised serious concerns over secrecy and lack of oversight.

Osigwe stressed the need for balance in the process, warning that failure to address victims’ grievances could endanger both communities and the reintegrated persons themselves.

He said, “Reintegrating persons who may have unleashed violence or burned properties or committed other criminal activities into communities without addressing the hurt of the victims would appear as compensating perpetrators while overlooking the victims.

“We have to ensure that the communities that have experienced the brutal effects of some of their activities do not experience it a second time as a result of the return of these persons.”

Osigwe also called for stronger monitoring mechanisms, including parole-style supervision and livelihood support, to ensure reintegrated persons do not return to violent groups.

The Country Director of Amnesty International in Nigeria, Isa Sanusi, said, while international law supports the reintegration of those who surrender, the Nigerian process lacked transparency.

Sanusi said, “There are serious concerns that some of those called repentant sometimes go back to what they do. The government must be transparent about who they are and their level of involvement. Tell the people who these people are, what kind of terrorism they were involved in, and whether they were informants or killers. These things have to be made very clear.”