The House of Representatives has joined the Senate of Nigeria in calling on the Federal Government to end the rehabilitation and reintegration of repentant terrorists, signalling growing opposition within the National Assembly to the programme.
The resolution was adopted during plenary on Wednesday, July 8, following a motion sponsored by Ademorin Kuye on measures to disrupt the financial networks sustaining kidnapping, banditry and terrorism.
During the debate, Yusuf Gagdi, Chairman of the House Committee on Navy, backed the motion but proposed an amendment calling on the Federal Government to end the rehabilitation and reintegration of terrorists, kidnappers and bandits.
“Anybody who kills deserves to be killed, except in cases such as a motor accident, where the law is clear.
“But if you invade innocent Nigerians’ homes, kidnap them, take them into the bush, subject them to terrible torture before taking their lives, including those of traditional rulers, you don’t deserve one second of survival,” Gagdi said.
He further argued that some rehabilitated insurgents could be leaking intelligence to criminal groups, contributing to attacks on security personnel during military operations.
The amendment was unanimously adopted after Speaker Tajudeen Abbas put it to a voice vote.
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However, Bamidele Salam, Chairman of the House Committee on Public Accounts, opposed aspects of the motion, warning against criminalising ransom payments when the government had yet to provide adequate protection for citizens.
Also contributing, Ahmadu Jaha said only families who had experienced kidnapping truly understood the trauma of having loved ones held captive.
He questioned whether lawmakers opposing ransom payments would maintain the same position if members of their own families were abducted.
The House’s position comes barely a day after the Senate similarly urged the Federal Government to discontinue the rehabilitation programme for repentant Boko Haram members.
The Federal Government introduced the rehabilitation initiative in 2016 under the military-led Operation Safe Corridor programme, designed to deradicalise and reintegrate former insurgents who voluntarily surrendered.
However, the programme has continued to attract criticism from many Nigerians, victims of insurgency and lawmakers who argue that it undermines justice for victims and poses potential security risks.