Senate Urges FG to Suspend Boko Haram Rehabilitation Programme

The Senate has called on the Federal Government to immediately suspend the rehabilitation and reintegration programme for former Boko Haram members while urging security agencies to intensify efforts to arrest and prosecute terrorists and other criminal elements responsible for attacks across the country.

The resolution was adopted during Tuesday’s plenary following a motion sponsored by Senator Abdulaziz Yar’Adua on the escalating attacks, abductions and killings of serving and retired military personnel, which he described as a growing threat to national security and the authority of the Nigerian state.

The Senate also directed its committees responsible for defence, army, navy, air force, police affairs and national security to strengthen oversight of security agencies and ensure that the nation’s security chiefs remain proactive in tackling the worsening security situation.

As part of its resolutions, the upper chamber further agreed that a delegation led by the President of the Senate, Godswill Akpabio, should meet with President Bola Tinubu to discuss the deteriorating security situation and possible measures to address it.

Presenting the motion, Senator Yar’Adua lamented the increasing wave of attacks targeting serving and retired military officers across different parts of the country, noting that the incidents have resulted in deaths, prolonged captivity, ransom payments, emotional trauma and economic hardship for victims, their families and the nation.

He cited the abduction of retired Colonel Rabiu Garba Yandoto and his two children along the Gusau-Tsafe Road in Zamfara State on January 1, 2023, as well as the kidnapping and subsequent killing of retired Major General Richard Chukwudi Duru in Imo State in September 2023 despite the payment of a $50,000 ransom.

The senator also recalled the murder of retired Brigadier General Uwem Udokwere, who was killed by intruders at his residence in Lokogoma, Abuja, in June 2024.

He further highlighted the abduction of former Director-General of the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC), Brigadier General Maharazu Tsiga (retd), who spent 56 days in captivity before regaining his freedom in April 2025.

Yar’Adua also referenced the abduction and death of retired Major Joe Ajayi in Kogi State in May 2025, the kidnapping and subsequent rescue of retired Colonel Joseph Ajanaku in Plateau State in January 2026, and the abduction and death in captivity of former Director of Defence Information, Major General Rabe Abubakar (retd), who was kidnapped alongside his wife in Katsina State on May 30, 2026.

According to the senator, the killing of Major General Abubakar and other victims while in the custody of terrorists represents a painful national loss and underscores the persistent insecurity confronting the country.

He warned that the increasing targeting of serving and retired military personnel by terrorists and criminal groups signals a dangerous shift in Nigeria’s security landscape, particularly because many of the victims had previously occupied sensitive operational, intelligence and command positions within the country’s security architecture.

Following deliberations, the Senate resolved to urge the Federal Government to halt the rehabilitation and reintegration of terrorists, ensure the arrest and prosecution of those responsible for violent crimes, strengthen the nation’s security response through enhanced legislative oversight, and engage directly with the Presidency on measures to tackle the country’s worsening security crisis.