Olusegun Adeniyi
Many Nigerians were aghast when they learned that military authorities had begun the controversial ‘Operation Safe Corridor’ initiative to ‘rehabilitate and reintegrate surrendered and repentant Boko Haram terrorist members.’ But it had the backing of President Muhammadu Buhari with Governor Babagana Zulum of Borno State also fully embracing it the moment he got to office. While I understand the social problems Zulum may have been attempting to solve, I have always believed that the entire programme is wrongheaded. Any policy based on appeasing criminals at the expense of justice for their victims cannot, in my book, be justified.
Incidentally, many stakeholders in Borno State, the epicentre of the Boko Haram insurgency, were also critical of the idea. For instance, the Shehu of Borno, Abubakar El-Kanemi, is on record as saying it would be difficult to cohabit with ‘repentant’ killers. “Many people were killed along with their property. And you people (government) and the media expect us to forget and forgive the repentant terrorists?” he queried. Senator Ali Ndume (currently the senate chief whip) was no less vehement in his opposition. “I am completely against the idea. You are just telling people to go and join Boko Haram and then repent…that’s a totally unacceptable way of solving problem.”
In February 2020, Ndume publicly denounced the announcement by the military that another batch of 603 ‘repentant’ insurgents had completed their de-radicalisation programme. He alleged that most of those earlier integrated into the communities had gone back to their old ways. “Many among those released have since run away. The government should know what to do about them, but not reintroducing someone to you, who has killed your parents or your relations”, said Ndume who recounted the atrocities committed by Boko Haram in his community. “In my village, mallams that are Muslims, not ordinary Muslims but mallams, elders above 60, were taken to an abattoir and slaughtered by Boko Haram. 75 of them…Not that they even apologised to you, they apologised to the government with the thinking that government has failed and that is why they are being pampered. They are like Kharajites. They will never repent.”
That ‘prophesy’ came to pass last week Tuesday night when ‘repentant’ Boko Haram insurgents (who dressed in military uniform) invaded a police station in Maiduguri to set free eight of their colleagues who had been arrested earlier with 476 grammes of illicit substances. “Thereafter, they went and attacked Nigeria Immigration Service and NDLEA check points after the welcome to the township gate and they burnt it down,” according to the Police Public Relations Officer in Borno State, Kenneth Daso who said arrests were made. Although Daso was silent on injuries and death, there are reports of fatalities.
I have on three occasions deployed Ndume’s argument to oppose this warped idea, especially given the factor of timing and the issue of justice. You don’t pamper killers with goodies and send them back to the families of their victims in the middle of a war that has no expiry date, I warned. De-radicalisation, as I also pointed out in the past, is never an easy option, even in advanced countries that have all it takes. To effectively tackle the issue of ‘reformed terrorists’, according to Sabariah Hussin, a research analyst at the International Centre for Political Violence and Terrorism Research (ICPVTR) in Singapore, the authorities must be well equipped to handle the various reintegration challenges. “This requires strong political will, adequate resources and the involvement of the wider community,” Hussin wrote. “An under-appreciated aspect of the reintegration process involves community engagement.”
It is evident that in Nigeria, we do not have what is required for a proper deradicalization process, which also takes time. It’s certainly not about preaching sermons to killers. Former Agriculture Minister and then chairman of the Arewa Consultative Forum (ACF), Chief Audu Ogbeh spoke to this same issue three years ago. “We are currently witnessing large scale surrender of large numbers of Boko Haram insurgents, among whom are bomb makers, commanders, arsonists, rapists, and child snatchers,” said Ogbeh who then asked: “Do we have good reason to cheer and hope for an end to this decade-old insanity? Is ‘I am sorry’ enough to bring relief to Nigerians and the thousands of dead and maimed?”
The unjust nature of the idea was further elaborated upon by Mr Abba Ali at one of the Internally Displaced Camps (IDPs) in Maiduguri called ‘Bakassi’ in 2020. “Imagine you had your children murdered, your wife raped and killed. The culprits are arrested, and the government tells you they are now repentant. And while you are still at an IDP camp, with your family disorganised, and you are struggling to get food to eat, the government brings the culprits, feeds, and clothes them, gives them education and money to start a business and sends them to come and be your neighbours” Ali told VANGUARD newspaper. “I learnt that many of them who pretended to surrender were not only given money and certificates after their graduation from a radicalization centre in Gombe, but they were also allowed to be reintegrated into the society to mingle with their victims. It is very shocking to me.”
It would be shocking to every rational person. And with what happened last week, it is now obvious that the suggestion that anybody can appeal to the conscience of these criminals is ludicrous. Meanwhile, the same formula was tried with bandits in the Northwest before it exploded in the faces of everyone. “With good engagement, education and enticements like jobs and other things, they will leave this work. But we need a partner, and we need the government to understand”, Sheikh Abubakar Gumi once rhapsodized while pushing a case for negotiations with bandits. “To secure schools, why not engage the bandits? Engage them; they are not many. You can count them with your fingers. How can you guard schools? It is not possible.”
I wonder what Gumi would now say to Governor Dikko Radda of Katsina State who last week accused unnamed government officials and security personnel of aiding banditry, which he described as “a business venture for the criminals and a business venture for some people who are in government and some people who are in the security outfits and some people who are responsible for the day-to-day activities of their people.” These are weighty charges coming from a governor, but the greater concern is the extent to which the problem has grown in a state where former President Muhammadu hails from. “…in Katsina, we have more than 100 different camps that are being led by somebody. So, they have many leaders, many camps and if you’re negotiating with camps A and B and don’t negotiate with camps C and D, it will not bring any lasting peace,” said Radda. “Even if you negotiate with the leaders, the other leaders may not necessarily comply with the directives of the leader. So that is what makes the negotiation very difficult. That is why I said I would never go into negotiations with any criminal at the point of weakness.”
A combination of porous borders, weak signal and technical intelligence, lack of proper data regarding who exactly is a Nigerian and the influx of illicit drugs including Tramadol have given rise to sundry cartels of opportunistic criminals. I commend the military for their efforts and the sacrifices they make on behalf of our nation. But it was always obvious that a policy of appeasement cannot work with insurgents in the Northeast or bandits in the Northwest. As I have often argued on this page, the connecting thread for the variants of violence we are witnessing across Nigeria is the loss of what Max Weber described as “the legitimate use of physical force” to criminal cartels. And until we muster the requisite capacity and political will to effectively confront those who trouble the peace of our country, we will continue to be at their mercy. But for now, the federal government must discontinue this ill-advised policy.
