Senate Urges Tinubu to Suspend Terrorist Rehabilitation Programme

• Senate calls for immediate halt to rehabilitation of former Boko Haram members, demands tougher action against terrorists.
• Senate to meet President Tinubu over worsening insecurity, rising attacks on serving and retired military officers.
• Security committees directed to intensify oversight as lawmakers seek stronger counter-terrorism strategy.

The Senate on Tuesday called on President Bola Tinubu-led Federal Government to suspend the rehabilitation and reintegration programme for former Boko Haram members, insisting that greater priority should be given to arresting, prosecuting and punishing terrorists responsible for violent attacks across the country.

The resolution followed a motion sponsored by Senator Abdulaziz Yar’Adua during plenary on the growing wave of attacks, abductions and killings involving serving and retired military personnel.

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Lawmakers described the security situation as a serious threat to national stability and directed the Senate Committees on security-related matters to strengthen oversight of security agencies to ensure improved operational performance.

The upper chamber also resolved that a delegation led by Senate President Godswill Akpabio should meet President Tinubu to discuss the deteriorating security situation and recommend urgent measures to curb terrorism, banditry and violent crimes.

Presenting the motion, Yar’Adua said the persistent attacks on serving and retired military officers reflected an alarming shift in the country’s security landscape.

He cited several incidents, including the January 2023 abduction of retired Colonel Rabiu Garba Yandoto and his two children in Zamfara State, the killing of retired Major General Richard Chukwudi Duru in Imo State despite the payment of ransom, and the June 2024 murder of retired Brigadier General Uwem Udokwere at his Abuja residence.

The senator also recalled the kidnapping of former National Youth Service Corps Director-General, Brigadier General Maharazu Tsiga (retd), who spent 56 days in captivity before regaining freedom in 2025, as well as the abduction and death of retired Major Joe Ajayi in Kogi State.

He further referenced the January 2026 rescue of retired Colonel Joseph Ajanaku in Plateau State and the abduction and subsequent death of former Director of Defence Information, Major General Rabe Abubakar (retd), who was kidnapped alongside his wife in Katsina State in May 2026.

According to Yar’Adua, the repeated attacks suggest that criminal groups are deliberately targeting current and former military officers, many of whom previously occupied strategic operational and intelligence positions.

During deliberations, senators argued that the rehabilitation programme for former insurgents had failed to achieve its intended objective and should be suspended.

They maintained that rehabilitating individuals accused of terrorist activities without adequate accountability sends the wrong message to victims and could encourage further criminality.

The Senate also directed its security committees to intensify legislative oversight of security agencies, ensure accountability in the use of security funds and press for more effective strategies to combat insurgency and banditry.

As part of its resolutions, the chamber called for a comprehensive investigation into the circumstances surrounding the abduction and death of Major General Rabe Abubakar and other victims, with a view to bringing those responsible to justice.

The Senate expressed hope that its planned engagement with President Tinubu would result in a review of Nigeria’s security strategy and strengthen efforts to address the country’s worsening security challenges.