The Human Rights Writers Association of Nigeria (HURIWA) has condemned the Defence Headquarters plan to reintegrate terrorists that claimed to have surrendered between 2016 and 2025.
In a statement over the weekend, HURIWA’s national coordinator, Emmanuel Onwubiko, said DHQ, recently disclosed that more than 300,000 terrorists surrendered between 2016 and 2025, with 2,615 undergoing deradicalisation and reintegration under Operation Safe Corridor (OPSC).
It described the programme as “deeply flawed, dangerously conceived, and fundamentally detrimental to national security,” warning that it may have inadvertently contributed to the persistence and escalation of terrorist attacks across Nigeria.
The group argued that the reintegration initiative, rather than neutralising threats, risks recycling former insurgents back into society without sufficient safeguards.
While acknowledging that the Defence Headquarters has consistently denied recruiting ex-terrorists into the armed forces, HURIWA insisted that the volume and persistence of these allegations warrant an independent and transparent investigation.
“The continued denial without open verification only deepens public suspicion. If indeed there is nothing to hide, the military should make its recruitment processes and records available for independent scrutiny,” the group stated.
HURIWA maintained that Operation Safe Corridor, in its current form, appears overly sympathetic to former combatants, with insufficient attention paid to victims of terrorism and communities devastated by insurgent violence. The group warned that the programme could serve as a “potential loophole” for re-entry of radicalised elements into both civilian life and, more alarmingly, sensitive security institutions.
The association called on the Federal Government to immediately suspend the programme pending a comprehensive review, stressing that national security must not be compromised in the name of rehabilitation.
It also urged the establishment of an independent commission of inquiry, comprising credible civil society organisations, security experts, and international observers, to thoroughly investigate allegations surrounding the reintegration programme and the reported infiltration of the armed forces.
According to HURIWA, such a probe should examine recruitment patterns within the Nigerian military dating back to the administration of former President Muhammadu Buhari, when the programme gained prominence.
The group emphasized that restoring public trust in the military requires openness, accountability, and a clear demonstration that national security policies are not inadvertently enabling the very threats they are meant to eliminate.
HURIWA concluded by reiterating its demand for the immediate abolition or radical restructuring of Operation Safe Corridor, warning that failure to act decisively could have far-reaching consequences for Nigeria’s already fragile security landscape.
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