'E no make common sense' - Why Nigeria Senate ask Tinubu to cancel rehabilitation of 'repentant' terrorists

Di Nigeria Senate on Tuesday pass a motion to tell di executive arm of govment make dem immediately stop di rehabilitation programme wey dem dey do for repentant terrorists for di kontri North East region.

'Operation Safe Corridor' na di name of di federal govment programme wia di Nigeria army dey keep terrorists wey voluntarily surrender to dem, and dem go undergo wetin di govment dey 'deradicalisation', learn vocational skill and go bak to live dia normal life for di society.

For di Senate plenary on Tuesday, di lawmakers bin deliberate about di retired Brigadier General, Rabe Abubakar, who bin kpai for captivity afta bandits bin kidnap im and im wife.

Di senators also torchlight say betwin 2023 and May 2026, plenty former military oga dem don fall victim to kidnapping for Nigeria and many of dem even kpai.

Some of di incidents include retired Major General Richard Duru wey kidnappers kpai for Owerri even afta im family bin pay $50,000 ransom.

Also di Brigadier General O.M. Harlord Udokwere who jaguda pipo bin kpai for Abuja.

Oda examples na retired Major Joy Ajayi wey die for kidnappers hand for Kogi State for May 2025 afta im family bin pay 10 million naira ransom; and di kidnapping of former NYSC Director-General, retired Brigadier General Maharazu Tsiga who spend 56 days for di bandits hand.

As di debate dey go on, Senator Joseph Ikpea from Edo State add di prayer for govment to stop di rehabilitation programme for former insurgent fighters.

Supporting di motion, former Edo State govnor, Adams Oshiomhole, tok say di practice of pardoning and rehabilitating criminals "no make common sense".

Afta di debates, di senate pass di motion by voice vote and demand make di rehabilitation programme for ex-boko haram fighters stop.

Motions passed by di legislative arm of govment no dey binding on di executive, but e represent dia strong opinion as di elected representatives of dia constituencies. Di motion go dey communicated to President Tinubu and e go take decision weda to implement am or not.

Di debate don dey go on over di years about weda dis deradicalisation programme for repentant terrorists suppose to dey go on at all.

Chidi Ujoatumba, a lawyer and public affairs analyst tok say im no believe say pesin wey bin join terrorist group and maybe even kpai pesin, fit turn around and say e don repent.

"If I dey for top legal position for dis kontri, I go make sure say any terrorist, weda e surrender voluntarily or e tok say e don repent, e go face di strong arm of di law and serve im punishment," Ujoatumba tok for one TV interview.

"I no dey in support of any of dem make dem come bak into di society, bicos dia extremism dey embeded into dia religion, na dia identity, na who dem be, so e no mata weda dem use di Quran and di Bible take swear say dem don repent, e no make any difference," di legal practitioner tok.

Howeva, anoda public affair analyst, Mohammed Tada, also share im opinion for anoda interview wia e tok say di choice to pardon some repentant insurgents and rehabilitate dem, na difficult choice but e dey necessary.

"War no dey usually end wit di last bullet, e dey end wen di last fighter believe say beta option dey for am dan di gun," Tada tok.

"Na very difficult decision, but as a govment you gatz consider di pros and cons. If you leave dem to continue fighting, dem go dey recruit more fighters, dey grow in number, and despair go dey increase for di public. But if you bring dem out, look after dem, get intelligence on dem, you fit dey able to manage di crisis beta."

Di Nigeria army bin don explain say di 'Operation Safe Corridor' initiative na for pipo wey bin dey forced to join di insurgents, pipo wey join sake of economic hardship, and pipo wey no be active fighters but dem bin dey provide logistics support or information to di fighters.

Once di terrorists surrender to govment forces, dem go undergo beta investigation and profiling to determine dia level of participation for di insurgency, and dis go determine weda dem qualify for di deradicalisation programme, or weda dem go face prosecution and jail time, di army tok.

One sabi pesin, Malik Samuel bin tell BBC News Pidgin say di rehabilitation programme bin yield some beta result but di problem be say as some of di insurgents dey surrender, di terrorists dey recruit plenty more pipo easily, sake of di economic hardship for di kontri.