Critics Knock Rewards for Perpetrators While Victims Denied Justice
By Mary Kiara
(Borno) – A Boko Haram fighter who admitted on camera to killing more than 100 people is being reintegrated under a Nigerian government program, raising urgent questions about justice and deterrence.
“I have killed over 100 people,” the “former insurgent” said in video recorded inside a rehabilitation camp in Borno state, Northeastern Nigeria.
The fighter, enrolled in the government’s Operation Safe Corridor program designed to rehabilitate and reintegrate former Boko Haram members, described systematic abuse of captives, including forced marriages and sexual abuse of abducted women.
The admission has shifted debate over the program from deradicalization to why confessed mass killers simply lay down their arms and get calmly reintegrated to society without prosecution.
TruthNigeria Interviews: Inside the Program
Some participants portray themselves as reformed.
“I lost my leg during a bomb blast in Maiduguri,” Musa Babakura, a Boko Haram fighter undergoing rehabilitation, told TruthNigeria.
“Since that tragic day, life has been extremely difficult for me,” Babakura said.
Others appeal for forgiveness.
“I deeply regret my past involvement with insurgents,” Abdullahi Modu Kura, another participant in the program, told TruthNigeria.
“I have learned that violence only destroys lives… I hope I am forgiven,” Kura said.
Their accounts reflect the government’s position that rehabilitation can reduce insurgent ranks.
But Nigeria’s practice of public confession to mass killing with no consequences afterwards begs scrutiny.
Legal Breakdown
Nigeria’s criminal law provides for the prosecution of murder and sexual violence, yet applicants from the Boko Haram insurgency are often reintegrated without public record of trial or conviction.
“I shall be approaching the Federal High Court next week to stop this madness,” Maxwell Opara, a Nigerian lawyer, said in a televised interview.
“Once a crime is committed, the law requires prosecution. This process does not fit within any known legal framework,” Opara said.
He warned that bypassing prosecution risks creating a system where individuals accused of mass atrocities face no judicial consequences.
“Such a programme is unlawful, illegal and immoral,” Wumi Bewaji, former Minority Leader in the House of Representatives, told TruthNigeria.
“Our legal system is designed in such a way that once a crime is committed, you are liable to be prosecuted and, if found guilty, you are convicted. If you want to talk about rehabilitation, we have correctional centres all over the country,” Bewaji said.
Security Risks Raised
Security analysts say the implications extend beyond legal concerns.
“Most of the so-called repentant fighters are not truly de-radicalized,” Rear Admiral Dickson Olisemelogor, a retired naval officer, told TruthNigeria.
“De-radicalization entails changing the person’s ideology and must be seen over a period of time that the person has actually changed,” Olisemelogor said.
“Some are purposely sent to gather intelligence and infiltrate security agencies,” he added.
“This is the reason they return to their old group or even form a new terror group once they have the opportunity. This has been observed in those who were absorbed into our security agencies; they often surreptitiously turn against their unit during operations or even abscond to form kidnapping groups,” Olisemelogor told TruthNigeria.
Victims and Policy Imbalance
While former fighters receive counseling and vocational training, millions of victims remain displaced across northern Nigeria.
“It appears rehabilitation has mostly been focused on the rebels themselves,” Vivian Bellonwu, founder of Social Action Nigeria, told TruthNigeria.
“Psychological recovery for families and children orphaned has not been addressed,” she said.
At a displacement camp, survivor Ishaku Christopher described the imbalance.
“These people destroyed our lives, yet they are the ones being supported,” Christopher told TruthNigeria.
“We have been left here for years with nothing,” he said.
Government Response
Nigeria’s military has defended the program as a counterterrorism strategy.
“The program reduces the number of fighters and supports long-term national stability,” Brig. Gen. Yusuf Ali said in a statement.
He denied claims that participants are armed or deployed in combat operations.
Violence Continues
Even as reintegration expands, Boko Haram attacks persist.
More than 400 women and children were recently abducted in Borno state by Boko Haram members, who have issued ransom demands, underscoring the group’s continued operational capacity.
Analysts say the persistence of attacks raises questions about whether current policies are weakening or recycling the threat.
“There must be a price for such crimes,” Ambassador Mary Abyomi-Fatile told TruthNigeria.
“If there is no consequence, others will see it as an opportunity,” she said.
The Accountability Question
The issue, analysts say, is no longer whether rehabilitation programs can reduce violence, but whether they can do so without undermining justice.
Government records show billions of naira allocated to rehabilitation programs, while support for displaced communities remains limited.
When individuals admit to killing civilians and are reintegrated without trial, the question becomes unavoidable: Can a counterterrorism strategy succeed if accountability is absent?
Mary Kiara reports on terrorism and religious freedom for TruthNigeria.
