Reps Join Senate to Demand End to Rehabilitation of Repentant Terrorists

 

By Abel Chigozie 

The House of Representatives has joined the Senate in urging the Federal Government to discontinue the rehabilitation and reintegration of repentant terrorists, kidnappers and bandits, citing growing insecurity and concerns over the effectiveness of the programme. The resolution followed the adoption of a motion during plenary on Wednesday. 

The motion, sponsored by Hon. Ademorin Kuye (APC, Lagos), focused on dismantling Nigeria's ransom economy, strengthening financial intelligence, and enforcing anti-money laundering laws.

Presenting the motion, Kuye cited reports by the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) and independent security organisations, which estimated that Nigerians paid approximately ₦2.23 trillion in ransom to kidnappers between January 2021 and June 2025. He also referenced investigations by the National Counter Terrorism Centre under the Office of the National Security Adviser, which found that some Point-of-Sale (POS) operators and other financial channels had been used to facilitate ransom payments and conceal financial transactions linked to criminal groups. 

According to the lawmaker, terrorist and criminal networks have increasingly exploited Bureau De Change operators, cryptocurrency platforms, livestock trading and other informal financial systems to launder proceeds from kidnappings and other criminal activities.

During the debate, Chairman of the House Committee on Navy, Hon. Yusuf Gagdi (APC, Plateau), backed the motion and proposed an amendment calling for the immediate end of the government's rehabilitation and reintegration programme for repentant terrorists, kidnappers and bandits.

Gagdi argued that individuals responsible for attacks on communities, kidnappings and the killing of security personnel should not benefit from rehabilitation, alleging that some rehabilitated former insurgents may have leaked intelligence that aided fresh attacks on security forces. The amendment was adopted through a voice vote presided over by Speaker Abbas Tajudeen. 

However, not all lawmakers supported the proposal without reservations. Chairman of the House Committee on Public Accounts, Hon. Bamidele Salam (PDP, Osun), cautioned against criminalising ransom payments, noting that many families only paid kidnappers to save the lives of their loved ones.

Similarly, Hon. Ahmadu Jaha (APC, Borno) said only families who had experienced abductions could truly understand the difficult choices victims faced. He also urged the Federal Government to provide rehabilitation and psychosocial support for rescued kidnap victims. 

The House's resolution comes a day after the Senate adopted a similar position, calling on the Federal Government to discontinue the rehabilitation programme for repentant members of Boko Haram under the Operation Safe Corridor initiative, which was introduced in 2016.