The African Democratic Congress (ADC) has lambasted President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s administration for planning to reintegrate 744 “repentant terrorists” who recently graduated from the government’s deradicalisation programme, warning that the move risks undermining justice and reigniting insecurity in already traumatised communities.
In a strongly worded statement issued today, ADC National Publicity Secretary Bolaji Abdullahi described the policy as a “dangerous failure of judgment” that prioritises rehabilitation over accountability.
“Terrorism is not a family dispute. It is not a moral metaphor,” Abdullahi said, rejecting official rhetoric that frames former insurgents as “brothers” or “prodigal sons.” He added: “What Nigerians are witnessing is not a coherent security strategy. It is, at best, confusion dressed up as policy; at worst, a dangerous policy of political appeasement.”
The criticism follows reports that 744 ex-fighters have completed the Operation Safe Corridor deradicalisation programme and are set for reintegration across Nigeria. The majority 597 hail from Borno State in the North-East, with others from Adamawa, Yobe, Kano and Bauchi states, plus a small number of foreign nationals from Chad, Cameroon and Niger.
The ADC argued that reintegrating former terrorists without clear judicial processes, transparent vetting standards or robust post-release monitoring exposes vulnerable communities to fresh threats.
“Reintegration without justice is not reconciliation; it is injustice,” Abdullahi stated. “It sends the wrong signal to victims still waiting for closure and suggests that the cost of terror can be negotiated.”
The party further questioned the criteria used to determine “genuine repentance,” the extent of any prosecutions, and the safeguards in place to protect communities, many of which remain displaced by years of Boko Haram and ISWAP violence.
“Nigerians do not know who has been investigated, who has been prosecuted, or on what basis individuals are deemed safe,” he said. The ADC insisted that terrorism remains an “existential threat to the Nigerian state” and that any response must prioritise justice and victim rights over “sentiment-driven policies.”
The Tinubu administration, however, defended the programme as a vital part of its counter-terrorism strategy. Speaking at the graduation ceremony in Gombe, Chief of Defence Staff Gen. Olufemi Oluyede insisted it was “not an amnesty” but a structured effort to reduce violence and prevent extremist recruitment.
“This is not a reward for wrongdoing,” Gen. Oluyede said. “It is a deliberate strategy to ensure long-term national stability.”
Military authorities added that participants underwent months of psychological counselling, vocational training, religious reorientation and civic education. The Coordinator of Operation Safe Corridor, Brigadier-General Yusuf Ali, also dismissed concerns that ex-terrorists were being absorbed into the military, calling such claims misinformation.
Despite government assurances, the ADC maintained that the programme lacks transparency and fails to address the concerns of victims and host communities, potentially deepening distrust in regions scarred by insurgency.
