Reintegration of ex-terrorists

The national outrage that trailed the plan to reintegrate 744 repentant terrorists into the society in Nigeria is understandable. Many Nigerians see it as a time bomb and are opposed to it. They believe that their integration will worsen the general insecurity across the country.

Some critics say the ex-terrorists cannot be trusted; that they will compromise our security by leaking intelligence to terrorists. Instead of reintegrating them, they advise that government should prosecute them for their crimes.

The President of the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA), Afam Osigwe, reportedly said reintegrating persons who might have unleashed violence, burned property or committed other criminal activities into communities without addressing the hurt of the victims would appear as compensating perpetrators while overlooking the victims. He noted that efforts should be made to ensure that reintegrated persons did not return to violent groups.

For Amnesty International, the process lacked transparency. According to the Country Director of the group in Nigeria, Isa Sanusi, “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.”

The African Democratic Congress (ADC) said President Bola Tinubu’s plan was dangerous to the fight against terrorism in the country. The opposition party reminded the President that terrorism was an existential threat to the nation. It warned that their reintegration without clear accountability and justice for victims would encourage terrorism.

It was the administration of former President Goodluck Jonathan that mooted the idea of rehabilitating ex-terrorists in 2013. It set up Countering Violent Extremism agency, code-named National Security Corridor. The agency was to create a process whereby ex-militants would be rehabilitated. But this did not work as envisaged.

The Muhammadu Buhari administration came with its own de-radicalisation, rehabilitation and reintegration programme code-named Operation Safe Corridor. It planned to take ‘low-risk’ defectors through the programme, including vocational training, basic education and religious re-education, before reintegration into the society. The plan was to prosecute ‘high-risk’ or hardened militants even after defecting.

The current beneficiaries graduated from the Federal Government’s De-radicalisation, Rehabilitation and Reintegration programme under Operation Safe Corridor in Gombe State. They are drawn from the conflict-affected states including Borno, Adamawa, Yobe, and Kano. Over the years, over 5,000 former militants have reportedly been rehabilitated and reintegrated into the society through the programme. 

In defending the programme, the Coordinator of Operation Safe Corridor, Yusuf Ali, said many of the beneficiaries were victims forced into insurgency. He said they underwent psychological, religious, and social rehabilitation before reintegration to ensure they posed no danger to society.   

Though fighting terrorism does not end with only military approach, there are inherent flaws trailing the Nigerian version of rehabilitation and reintegration. For instance, victims and the communities affected by insurgency are usually not carried along in the rehabilitation of the former terrorists. These victims see the programme as a grave injustice to them. While government appears to pamper the terrorists, it leaves the devastated communities to wallow in their suffering. Hence, they find it difficult to accept the ex-insurgents into their midst.

Besides, there is serious trust deficit between the ex-terrorists and the communities they go back to. Many people believe that they have not truly repented. They look at them with suspicion. This is the situation in a place like Bama in Borno State where community leaders have reportedly expressed concern about the arrival of these former Boko Haram members, especially those who bypass the rehabilitation programme.

Some of the ex-militants also suspect government’s moves and may not be too willing to drop their guns. Without any serious plan to empower them economically, the beneficiaries get tempted to go back to the forest to fend for themselves. A good number of them have reportedly used the amnesty period to escape military pressure, recover from hunger and later go back to their old terror group. Some form new kidnapping rings afterwards. Security experts have expressed worry that some of them surrender with the aim of gathering intelligence for active terrorists.

We condemn the plan to reintegrate terrorists into the society. Government’s reason that their integration will curb terrorism is false and illogical. It will rather embolden the terrorists and fuel terrorism the more. The plan is unacceptable and unjust as it prioritises the welfare of the terrorists over compensation for victims of their terror acts. Most of these victims are still in Internally Displaced Persons camps. 

The terrorists are not ‘our brothers’ or ‘prodigal sons’ as some security chiefs were quoted as saying recently. They are sworn enemies of the State. Incidentally, some of them go back to terrorism after reintegration as there are no measures in place to prevent such. Government should perish the plan or put mechanisms in place to keep an eye on the ex-terrorists after rehabilitation to avoid their rejoining their insurgent groups.