The Senate has echoed the concerns of many Nigerians over the Federal Government’s policy of rehabilitating and reintegrating repentant Boko Haram members, arguing that the programme has outlived its usefulness and should be discontinued.

The controversial Operation Safe Corridor (OSC), introduced in 2016 under former President Muhammadu Buhari, was designed to encourage insurgents to surrender, undergo rehabilitation and eventually return to society. While conceived as a pathway out of violent extremism, critics argue that the initiative has increasingly undermined justice and public confidence.

One of the major concerns surrounding the programme is the difficulty of determining whether former insurgents are genuinely repentant. Many Boko Haram members were indoctrinated into extremist ideology from an early age, making it nearly impossible to accurately assess the sincerity of their rehabilitation. Even where remorse exists, critics maintain that it should not replace accountability under the law.

Rather than prioritising justice, the programme has often been perceived as allowing former fighters to bypass prosecution and return to the same communities that suffered from their actions. Victims of terrorism and families who lost loved ones are left to live alongside individuals linked to killings, kidnappings, destruction of property and other atrocities, raising questions about fairness and national healing.

There are also concerns that the policy could send the wrong message to potential recruits by suggesting that those who participate in terrorism may eventually benefit from rehabilitation and reintegration instead of facing the full consequences of their actions. At a time when Nigeria continues to battle insurgency, banditry and kidnapping, critics warn that such perceptions could weaken deterrence.

Beyond the issue of justice is the question of public safety. While participants in Operation Safe Corridor undergo screening and rehabilitation, experts have consistently noted that debriefing does not necessarily guarantee complete de-radicalisation. Communities receiving former fighters often shoulder the responsibility of living with individuals whose commitment to abandoning violent extremism cannot be independently verified.

Against this backdrop, the Senate has called for a review of the policy and urged the Federal Government to suspend the programme. Lawmakers argued that surrendered insurgents should first undergo proper investigation and prosecution, with clear distinctions made between minors forced into the conflict, low-level recruits and those responsible for serious acts of violence.

Those found guilty of crimes, they maintain, should be prosecuted through the judicial system and held accountable before any consideration is given to rehabilitation or possible leniency.

Critics insist that Nigeria’s fight against terrorism must be built on justice, accountability and the protection of innocent citizens rather than policies perceived to reward former insurgents. They argue that lasting peace can only be achieved when perpetrators of violent crimes are held responsible for their actions, while victims receive the justice they deserve.

For many observers, the Senate’s position reflects growing public frustration with Operation Safe Corridor and underscores increasing calls for the Federal Government to rethink its approach to counter-insurgency, placing greater emphasis on justice, deterrence and national security.