Netizens have taken to social media to react after the graduation of 744 repentant Boko Haram terrorists under the federal government’s rehabilitation programme, ‘Operation Safe Corridor’.
The April 16 ceremony marked a key moment for the initiative, which was launched in 2016 to deradicalize low-risk, voluntary surrenders.
The programme focuses on psychosocial support, vocational training, religious reorientation, and civic education to prepare participants for reintegration into society.
Chief of Defence Staff, Olufemi Oluyede, described the initiative as a strategic effort to reduce violence and promote stability, stressing that it is not an amnesty programme.
Beneficiaries were drawn from states including Borno and Yobe, and comprised Muslims, Christians, and some foreign nationals.
While authorities highlight the programme as a success, with over 300,000 insurgents reportedly surrendering, many Nigerians online have questioned the timing, especially following a deadly attack on April 9.
Others also raised concerns about perceived double standards, citing the continued detention of Nnamdi Kanu on terrorism-related charges.
Reacting on X, @DanielRegha wrote: “How does the govt prosecute Nnamdi Kanu for terrorism charges, but then pardon terrorists nonstop? LMAO.”
@SirChrisOkoye added that “the blatant hypocrisy of a judicial system that relentlessly persecutes a political agitator while extending state-sponsored amnesty to the very terrorists who have soaked the soil in blood is a grotesque betrayal of justice and an insult to every victim of their cowardice.”
Another user, @freemandandy88, questioned the welfare of victims, asking, “how many of their victims have been compensated, rehabilitated and actually resettled back to their ancestral dwelling away from IDP camps?”
@EnrichedFrancis also expressed dissatisfaction, saying, “this is so unfair to all the people who have lost their lives to insecurity and banditry in this country… This is just everything that is wrong with this country. This is sad.”
Read also:
- 117 repentant terrorists graduate from Operation Safe Corridor in Borno
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Adding to the criticism, @DGNaija wrote: “In this life, never try to understand the Nigerian government… terrorists rarely repent. They often return to their groups, and their next attack could be even more brutal.”
@Young_insp said “there has never been a regime in the history of Nigeria, where terrorists who unalived thousands of Nigerians are being rehabilitated and reintegrated into society…”
Similarly, @Badmus863 questioned the logic behind the programme, stating, “people who slaughter us… when we now catch them instead of giving them same treatment, they are being rehabilitated and released.”
Despite the backlash, the federal government maintains that ‘Operation Safe Corridor’ is essential in addressing insurgency through non-kinetic means and fostering long-term peace.
