The Senate has approved a motion calling for an end to the rehabilitation and reintegration of Boko Haram members and other violent criminals, citing growing concerns over the country’s worsening security situation.
The resolution followed a motion sponsored by Senator Abdulazeez Yar’Adua on the abduction and killing of former Director of Defence Information, retired Major General Rabe Abubakar, alongside other security personnel.
During plenary, lawmakers condemned the rehabilitation of suspected insurgents, bandits and kidnappers under various deradicalisation programmes, arguing that the practice may be contributing to the persistence of insecurity, particularly in northern Nigeria.
The Senate expressed alarm over what it described as a disturbing pattern of attacks on serving and retired military officers. Lawmakers noted that the killing of retired Major General Abubakar and other security personnel represented not only personal tragedies but also a significant national loss.
Citing several incidents between 2023 and 2026, senators recalled the killing of retired Major General Richard Duru in Imo State after a reported ransom payment, the murder of retired Brigadier General O.M. Harlord Udokwere in Abuja, the prolonged captivity of former NYSC Director-General, retired Brigadier General Maharazu Tsiga, and the death in captivity of retired Major Aja in Kogi State.
According to the lawmakers, the increasing targeting of military officers poses a serious threat to national security because many of the victims previously held sensitive intelligence, operational and command positions.
The Senate stressed that insecurity now extends beyond individual victims, warning that it threatens national unity, democratic stability, economic development and public confidence in government.
While commending the Armed Forces, the Police, the Department of State Services (DSS), the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) and other security agencies for their sacrifices, the lawmakers called for improved intelligence gathering, stronger inter-agency collaboration, wider deployment of technology and enhanced community engagement to tackle insecurity.
The upper chamber also noted that the wave of kidnappings and killings has caused deaths, emotional trauma, economic hardship and psychological distress for victims, families and communities.
The resolution signals growing frustration within the Senate over the rehabilitation of repentant insurgents and could shape future government policies on the treatment of convicted terrorists and other violent offenders.
