THE Senate’s belated resolution calling for the suspension of the rehabilitation, de-radicalisation and reintegration of “repentant” terrorists is a welcome repudiation of Nigeria’s deeply flawed counterterrorism strategy. But the upper chamber must not stop at passing a resolution. It should follow through with legislative oversight and sustained pressure to ensure that the executive abandons this dangerous policy in the public interest.Since insurgency erupted in 2009, terrorism has threatened Nigeria’s national life. Yet, after years of lethargy, the Senate finally adopted a resolution on July 7 urging the Federal Government to suspend the pardon of Islamic terrorists.Leading the debate, Abdulaziz Yar’Adua decried the country’s worsening insecurity, citing the serial abduction and killing of serving and retired generals and other military personnel.Arguing that rehabilitation aligns with the global Disarmament, Demobilisation and Reintegration principle, and that military action alone cannot defeat insurgency, the Muhammadu Buhari administration launched Operation Safe Corridor in 2016.The programme was conceived as a non-kinetic peace-building initiative to grant amnesty to low-risk, supposedly repentant insurgents, de-radicalise them and reintegrate them into society.The programme is domiciled in the Office of the National Security Adviser and is implemented by the military, the police, and more than 17 relevant ministries, departments, and agencies.Reports indicate that about 5,000 former Boko Haram insurgents have been rehabilitated and reintegrated into communities across the country, while 744 former terrorists and victims of violent extremism have graduated from the programme.Similarly, the Borno Model, an initiative of the Borno State Government, has reportedly rehabilitated and reintegrated about 8,000 former fighters and their families into their communities.From inception, however, Operation Safe Corridor has attracted strong public criticism because it misses the central point. Islamic terrorism is driven by a rigid Salafist ideology that does not readily lend itself to genuine repentance. Banditry has become its economic alter ego.Reports that about 10,000 pardoned terrorists have returned to the forests after completing the de-radicalisation programme because the government’s N100,000 monthly stipend could no longer sustain them expose the folly of the policy. If true, they demonstrate that Nigeria cannot effectively manage the so-called pardon of terrorists.Public policy cannot continue to be reduced to a laboratory for failed experiments. The argument that some terrorists were recruited against their will cannot justify granting them pardon after they have participated in heinous crimes.The terrorists have abducted more than 12 serving and retired generals, eight of whom were killed, including Richard Duru, who was murdered in September 2023 after his abductors collected a $50,000 ransom; Rabe Abubakar (May 2026); Dzarma Zirkusu (November 2021); and Musa Uba (2025).These are not offences deserving of pardon. Such a policy only emboldens terrorists by assuring them that even the worst atrocities can eventually be forgiven. That is not justice.The sacrifice of security personnel further underlines the absurdity of this approach. Police Inspector Jerome Abena was killed during the rescue mission to free the abducted Oriire schoolchildren and their teachers at the National Park in Oyo State earlier this month.Related NewsEx-CDS credits DSS with rescue of Oyo pupils, teachersSoldiers arrest suspected Sudanese terrorist, Ghanaian in BornoDefence minister denies resignation rumoursThe scale of the insurgency is equally sobering. While The PUNCH reported in August 2022 that terrorists attacked 16 military bases within 18 months and killed 750 soldiers, other reports indicate that between January and April 2026 alone, insurgents launched 15 attacks on military bases in Borno and Yobe states.Combined, Boko Haram, ISWAP, Lakurawa, Mahmuda, Ansaru and other insurgent groups have slaughtered more than 100,000 Nigerians, according to Vice-President Kashim Shettima.The devastation extends far beyond the battlefield. Insurgency has crippled education, destroyed livelihoods and robbed millions of children of their future by forcing parents to withdraw them from school.Today, more than 18.3 million Nigerian children—the second-highest out-of-school population in the world—are out of school, while over 180 schools remain shut across the North.During the administration of President Goodluck Jonathan, Boko Haram established a parallel government by seizing more than 27 local government areas across Borno, Yobe and Adamawa, its epicentre.Even now, some communities in northern Nigeria still pay taxes to terrorists.This is not merely a security challenge; it is a direct threat to Nigeria’s sovereignty and to the credibility of the 2027 general elections.The National Bureau of Statistics estimated that 2.24 million kidnapping incidents occurred between May 2023 and April 2024, including the abduction of schoolchildren. During the same period, affected households paid an average ransom of N2.7 million.This is clear evidence of the staggering human cost of a country under siege.The government’s reluctance to confront terrorism with the firmness it demands lies at the heart of the worsening crisis. Pardoning insurgents sends an unmistakably dangerous signal: that people can embrace terrorism, commit unspeakable crimes and ultimately seek mercy.Countries such as Israel, the United States, the United Kingdom and Colombia have confronted terrorism with sustained investments in intelligence, technology and overwhelming security responses. They hardly, if ever, contemplate pardoning terrorists.While Nigeria compromises the future of its own children by failing to educate and protect them, insurgent groups are exploiting government indecision to build their own successor generation. Across parts of the North, terrorists continue to recruit and indoctrinate teenagers in alarming numbers.This is reckless. It is unacceptable. The Executive should heed the Senate’s resolution, suspend the pardon of insurgents and prosecute the war against terrorism with clarity, consistency and resolve. The only appropriate response to such crimes is the permanent removal of dangerous terrorists from society.Instead of rehabilitating terrorists, the government should channel its resources towards rehabilitating the true victims of terrorism, including displaced communities, bereaved families, injured security personnel and the families of those who made the ultimate sacrifice. Since insurgency erupted in 2009, terrorism has threatened Nigeria’s national life. Yet, after years of lethargy, the Senate finally adopted a resolution on July 7 urging the Federal Government to suspend the pardon of Islamic terrorists.Leading the debate, Abdulaziz Yar’Adua decried the country’s worsening insecurity, citing the serial abduction and killing of serving and retired generals and other military personnel.Arguing that rehabilitation aligns with the global Disarmament, Demobilisation and Reintegration principle, and that military action alone cannot defeat insurgency, the Muhammadu Buhari administration launched Operation Safe Corridor in 2016.The programme was conceived as a non-kinetic peace-building initiative to grant amnesty to low-risk, supposedly repentant insurgents, de-radicalise them and reintegrate them into society.The programme is domiciled in the Office of the National Security Adviser and is implemented by the military, the police, and more than 17 relevant ministries, departments, and agencies.Reports indicate that about 5,000 former Boko Haram insurgents have been rehabilitated and reintegrated into communities across the country, while 744 former terrorists and victims of violent extremism have graduated from the programme.Similarly, the Borno Model, an initiative of the Borno State Government, has reportedly rehabilitated and reintegrated about 8,000 former fighters and their families into their communities.From inception, however, Operation Safe Corridor has attracted strong public criticism because it misses the central point. Islamic terrorism is driven by a rigid Salafist ideology that does not readily lend itself to genuine repentance. Banditry has become its economic alter ego.Reports that about 10,000 pardoned terrorists have returned to the forests after completing the de-radicalisation programme because the government’s N100,000 monthly stipend could no longer sustain them expose the folly of the policy. If true, they demonstrate that Nigeria cannot effectively manage the so-called pardon of terrorists.Public policy cannot continue to be reduced to a laboratory for failed experiments. The argument that some terrorists were recruited against their will cannot justify granting them pardon after they have participated in heinous crimes.The terrorists have abducted more than 12 serving and retired generals, eight of whom were killed, including Richard Duru, who was murdered in September 2023 after his abductors collected a $50,000 ransom; Rabe Abubakar (May 2026); Dzarma Zirkusu (November 2021); and Musa Uba (2025).These are not offences deserving of pardon. Such a policy only emboldens terrorists by assuring them that even the worst atrocities can eventually be forgiven. That is not justice.The sacrifice of security personnel further underlines the absurdity of this approach. Police Inspector Jerome Abena was killed during the rescue mission to free the abducted Oriire schoolchildren and their teachers at the National Park in Oyo State earlier this month.Related NewsEx-CDS credits DSS with rescue of Oyo pupils, teachersSoldiers arrest suspected Sudanese terrorist, Ghanaian in BornoDefence minister denies resignation rumoursThe scale of the insurgency is equally sobering. While The PUNCH reported in August 2022 that terrorists attacked 16 military bases within 18 months and killed 750 soldiers, other reports indicate that between January and April 2026 alone, insurgents launched 15 attacks on military bases in Borno and Yobe states.Combined, Boko Haram, ISWAP, Lakurawa, Mahmuda, Ansaru and other insurgent groups have slaughtered more than 100,000 Nigerians, according to Vice-President Kashim Shettima.The devastation extends far beyond the battlefield. Insurgency has crippled education, destroyed livelihoods and robbed millions of children of their future by forcing parents to withdraw them from school.Today, more than 18.3 million Nigerian children—the second-highest out-of-school population in the world—are out of school, while over 180 schools remain shut across the North.During the administration of President Goodluck Jonathan, Boko Haram established a parallel government by seizing more than 27 local government areas across Borno, Yobe and Adamawa, its epicentre.Even now, some communities in northern Nigeria still pay taxes to terrorists.This is not merely a security challenge; it is a direct threat to Nigeria’s sovereignty and to the credibility of the 2027 general elections.The National Bureau of Statistics estimated that 2.24 million kidnapping incidents occurred between May 2023 and April 2024, including the abduction of schoolchildren. During the same period, affected households paid an average ransom of N2.7 million.This is clear evidence of the staggering human cost of a country under siege.The government’s reluctance to confront terrorism with the firmness it demands lies at the heart of the worsening crisis. Pardoning insurgents sends an unmistakably dangerous signal: that people can embrace terrorism, commit unspeakable crimes and ultimately seek mercy.Countries such as Israel, the United States, the United Kingdom and Colombia have confronted terrorism with sustained investments in intelligence, technology and overwhelming security responses. They hardly, if ever, contemplate pardoning terrorists.While Nigeria compromises the future of its own children by failing to educate and protect them, insurgent groups are exploiting government indecision to build their own successor generation. Across parts of the North, terrorists continue to recruit and indoctrinate teenagers in alarming numbers.This is reckless. It is unacceptable. The Executive should heed the Senate’s resolution, suspend the pardon of insurgents and prosecute the war against terrorism with clarity, consistency and resolve. The only appropriate response to such crimes is the permanent removal of dangerous terrorists from society.Instead of rehabilitating terrorists, the government should channel its resources towards rehabilitating the true victims of terrorism, including displaced communities, bereaved families, injured security personnel and the families of those who made the ultimate sacrifice. Leading the debate, Abdulaziz Yar’Adua decried the country’s worsening insecurity, citing the serial abduction and killing of serving and retired generals and other military personnel.Arguing that rehabilitation aligns with the global Disarmament, Demobilisation and Reintegration principle, and that military action alone cannot defeat insurgency, the Muhammadu Buhari administration launched Operation Safe Corridor in 2016.The programme was conceived as a non-kinetic peace-building initiative to grant amnesty to low-risk, supposedly repentant insurgents, de-radicalise them and reintegrate them into society.The programme is domiciled in the Office of the National Security Adviser and is implemented by the military, the police, and more than 17 relevant ministries, departments, and agencies.Reports indicate that about 5,000 former Boko Haram insurgents have been rehabilitated and reintegrated into communities across the country, while 744 former terrorists and victims of violent extremism have graduated from the programme.Similarly, the Borno Model, an initiative of the Borno State Government, has reportedly rehabilitated and reintegrated about 8,000 former fighters and their families into their communities.From inception, however, Operation Safe Corridor has attracted strong public criticism because it misses the central point. Islamic terrorism is driven by a rigid Salafist ideology that does not readily lend itself to genuine repentance. Banditry has become its economic alter ego.Reports that about 10,000 pardoned terrorists have returned to the forests after completing the de-radicalisation programme because the government’s N100,000 monthly stipend could no longer sustain them expose the folly of the policy. If true, they demonstrate that Nigeria cannot effectively manage the so-called pardon of terrorists.Public policy cannot continue to be reduced to a laboratory for failed experiments. The argument that some terrorists were recruited against their will cannot justify granting them pardon after they have participated in heinous crimes.The terrorists have abducted more than 12 serving and retired generals, eight of whom were killed, including Richard Duru, who was murdered in September 2023 after his abductors collected a $50,000 ransom; Rabe Abubakar (May 2026); Dzarma Zirkusu (November 2021); and Musa Uba (2025).These are not offences deserving of pardon. Such a policy only emboldens terrorists by assuring them that even the worst atrocities can eventually be forgiven. That is not justice.The sacrifice of security personnel further underlines the absurdity of this approach. Police Inspector Jerome Abena was killed during the rescue mission to free the abducted Oriire schoolchildren and their teachers at the National Park in Oyo State earlier this month.Related NewsEx-CDS credits DSS with rescue of Oyo pupils, teachersSoldiers arrest suspected Sudanese terrorist, Ghanaian in BornoDefence minister denies resignation rumoursThe scale of the insurgency is equally sobering. While The PUNCH reported in August 2022 that terrorists attacked 16 military bases within 18 months and killed 750 soldiers, other reports indicate that between January and April 2026 alone, insurgents launched 15 attacks on military bases in Borno and Yobe states.Combined, Boko Haram, ISWAP, Lakurawa, Mahmuda, Ansaru and other insurgent groups have slaughtered more than 100,000 Nigerians, according to Vice-President Kashim Shettima.The devastation extends far beyond the battlefield. Insurgency has crippled education, destroyed livelihoods and robbed millions of children of their future by forcing parents to withdraw them from school.Today, more than 18.3 million Nigerian children—the second-highest out-of-school population in the world—are out of school, while over 180 schools remain shut across the North.During the administration of President Goodluck Jonathan, Boko Haram established a parallel government by seizing more than 27 local government areas across Borno, Yobe and Adamawa, its epicentre.Even now, some communities in northern Nigeria still pay taxes to terrorists.This is not merely a security challenge; it is a direct threat to Nigeria’s sovereignty and to the credibility of the 2027 general elections.The National Bureau of Statistics estimated that 2.24 million kidnapping incidents occurred between May 2023 and April 2024, including the abduction of schoolchildren. During the same period, affected households paid an average ransom of N2.7 million.This is clear evidence of the staggering human cost of a country under siege.The government’s reluctance to confront terrorism with the firmness it demands lies at the heart of the worsening crisis. Pardoning insurgents sends an unmistakably dangerous signal: that people can embrace terrorism, commit unspeakable crimes and ultimately seek mercy.Countries such as Israel, the United States, the United Kingdom and Colombia have confronted terrorism with sustained investments in intelligence, technology and overwhelming security responses. They hardly, if ever, contemplate pardoning terrorists.While Nigeria compromises the future of its own children by failing to educate and protect them, insurgent groups are exploiting government indecision to build their own successor generation. Across parts of the North, terrorists continue to recruit and indoctrinate teenagers in alarming numbers.This is reckless. It is unacceptable. The Executive should heed the Senate’s resolution, suspend the pardon of insurgents and prosecute the war against terrorism with clarity, consistency and resolve. The only appropriate response to such crimes is the permanent removal of dangerous terrorists from society.Instead of rehabilitating terrorists, the government should channel its resources towards rehabilitating the true victims of terrorism, including displaced communities, bereaved families, injured security personnel and the families of those who made the ultimate sacrifice. Arguing that rehabilitation aligns with the global Disarmament, Demobilisation and Reintegration principle, and that military action alone cannot defeat insurgency, the Muhammadu Buhari administration launched Operation Safe Corridor in 2016.The programme was conceived as a non-kinetic peace-building initiative to grant amnesty to low-risk, supposedly repentant insurgents, de-radicalise them and reintegrate them into society.The programme is domiciled in the Office of the National Security Adviser and is implemented by the military, the police, and more than 17 relevant ministries, departments, and agencies.Reports indicate that about 5,000 former Boko Haram insurgents have been rehabilitated and reintegrated into communities across the country, while 744 former terrorists and victims of violent extremism have graduated from the programme.Similarly, the Borno Model, an initiative of the Borno State Government, has reportedly rehabilitated and reintegrated about 8,000 former fighters and their families into their communities.From inception, however, Operation Safe Corridor has attracted strong public criticism because it misses the central point. Islamic terrorism is driven by a rigid Salafist ideology that does not readily lend itself to genuine repentance. Banditry has become its economic alter ego.Reports that about 10,000 pardoned terrorists have returned to the forests after completing the de-radicalisation programme because the government’s N100,000 monthly stipend could no longer sustain them expose the folly of the policy. If true, they demonstrate that Nigeria cannot effectively manage the so-called pardon of terrorists.Public policy cannot continue to be reduced to a laboratory for failed experiments. The argument that some terrorists were recruited against their will cannot justify granting them pardon after they have participated in heinous crimes.The terrorists have abducted more than 12 serving and retired generals, eight of whom were killed, including Richard Duru, who was murdered in September 2023 after his abductors collected a $50,000 ransom; Rabe Abubakar (May 2026); Dzarma Zirkusu (November 2021); and Musa Uba (2025).These are not offences deserving of pardon. Such a policy only emboldens terrorists by assuring them that even the worst atrocities can eventually be forgiven. That is not justice.The sacrifice of security personnel further underlines the absurdity of this approach. Police Inspector Jerome Abena was killed during the rescue mission to free the abducted Oriire schoolchildren and their teachers at the National Park in Oyo State earlier this month.Related NewsEx-CDS credits DSS with rescue of Oyo pupils, teachersSoldiers arrest suspected Sudanese terrorist, Ghanaian in BornoDefence minister denies resignation rumoursThe scale of the insurgency is equally sobering. While The PUNCH reported in August 2022 that terrorists attacked 16 military bases within 18 months and killed 750 soldiers, other reports indicate that between January and April 2026 alone, insurgents launched 15 attacks on military bases in Borno and Yobe states.Combined, Boko Haram, ISWAP, Lakurawa, Mahmuda, Ansaru and other insurgent groups have slaughtered more than 100,000 Nigerians, according to Vice-President Kashim Shettima.The devastation extends far beyond the battlefield. Insurgency has crippled education, destroyed livelihoods and robbed millions of children of their future by forcing parents to withdraw them from school.Today, more than 18.3 million Nigerian children—the second-highest out-of-school population in the world—are out of school, while over 180 schools remain shut across the North.During the administration of President Goodluck Jonathan, Boko Haram established a parallel government by seizing more than 27 local government areas across Borno, Yobe and Adamawa, its epicentre.Even now, some communities in northern Nigeria still pay taxes to terrorists.This is not merely a security challenge; it is a direct threat to Nigeria’s sovereignty and to the credibility of the 2027 general elections.The National Bureau of Statistics estimated that 2.24 million kidnapping incidents occurred between May 2023 and April 2024, including the abduction of schoolchildren. During the same period, affected households paid an average ransom of N2.7 million.This is clear evidence of the staggering human cost of a country under siege.The government’s reluctance to confront terrorism with the firmness it demands lies at the heart of the worsening crisis. Pardoning insurgents sends an unmistakably dangerous signal: that people can embrace terrorism, commit unspeakable crimes and ultimately seek mercy.Countries such as Israel, the United States, the United Kingdom and Colombia have confronted terrorism with sustained investments in intelligence, technology and overwhelming security responses. They hardly, if ever, contemplate pardoning terrorists.While Nigeria compromises the future of its own children by failing to educate and protect them, insurgent groups are exploiting government indecision to build their own successor generation. Across parts of the North, terrorists continue to recruit and indoctrinate teenagers in alarming numbers.This is reckless. It is unacceptable. The Executive should heed the Senate’s resolution, suspend the pardon of insurgents and prosecute the war against terrorism with clarity, consistency and resolve. The only appropriate response to such crimes is the permanent removal of dangerous terrorists from society.Instead of rehabilitating terrorists, the government should channel its resources towards rehabilitating the true victims of terrorism, including displaced communities, bereaved families, injured security personnel and the families of those who made the ultimate sacrifice. The programme was conceived as a non-kinetic peace-building initiative to grant amnesty to low-risk, supposedly repentant insurgents, de-radicalise them and reintegrate them into society.The programme is domiciled in the Office of the National Security Adviser and is implemented by the military, the police, and more than 17 relevant ministries, departments, and agencies.Reports indicate that about 5,000 former Boko Haram insurgents have been rehabilitated and reintegrated into communities across the country, while 744 former terrorists and victims of violent extremism have graduated from the programme.Similarly, the Borno Model, an initiative of the Borno State Government, has reportedly rehabilitated and reintegrated about 8,000 former fighters and their families into their communities.From inception, however, Operation Safe Corridor has attracted strong public criticism because it misses the central point. Islamic terrorism is driven by a rigid Salafist ideology that does not readily lend itself to genuine repentance. Banditry has become its economic alter ego.Reports that about 10,000 pardoned terrorists have returned to the forests after completing the de-radicalisation programme because the government’s N100,000 monthly stipend could no longer sustain them expose the folly of the policy. If true, they demonstrate that Nigeria cannot effectively manage the so-called pardon of terrorists.Public policy cannot continue to be reduced to a laboratory for failed experiments. The argument that some terrorists were recruited against their will cannot justify granting them pardon after they have participated in heinous crimes.The terrorists have abducted more than 12 serving and retired generals, eight of whom were killed, including Richard Duru, who was murdered in September 2023 after his abductors collected a $50,000 ransom; Rabe Abubakar (May 2026); Dzarma Zirkusu (November 2021); and Musa Uba (2025).These are not offences deserving of pardon. Such a policy only emboldens terrorists by assuring them that even the worst atrocities can eventually be forgiven. That is not justice.The sacrifice of security personnel further underlines the absurdity of this approach. Police Inspector Jerome Abena was killed during the rescue mission to free the abducted Oriire schoolchildren and their teachers at the National Park in Oyo State earlier this month.Related NewsEx-CDS credits DSS with rescue of Oyo pupils, teachersSoldiers arrest suspected Sudanese terrorist, Ghanaian in BornoDefence minister denies resignation rumoursThe scale of the insurgency is equally sobering. While The PUNCH reported in August 2022 that terrorists attacked 16 military bases within 18 months and killed 750 soldiers, other reports indicate that between January and April 2026 alone, insurgents launched 15 attacks on military bases in Borno and Yobe states.Combined, Boko Haram, ISWAP, Lakurawa, Mahmuda, Ansaru and other insurgent groups have slaughtered more than 100,000 Nigerians, according to Vice-President Kashim Shettima.The devastation extends far beyond the battlefield. Insurgency has crippled education, destroyed livelihoods and robbed millions of children of their future by forcing parents to withdraw them from school.Today, more than 18.3 million Nigerian children—the second-highest out-of-school population in the world—are out of school, while over 180 schools remain shut across the North.During the administration of President Goodluck Jonathan, Boko Haram established a parallel government by seizing more than 27 local government areas across Borno, Yobe and Adamawa, its epicentre.Even now, some communities in northern Nigeria still pay taxes to terrorists.This is not merely a security challenge; it is a direct threat to Nigeria’s sovereignty and to the credibility of the 2027 general elections.The National Bureau of Statistics estimated that 2.24 million kidnapping incidents occurred between May 2023 and April 2024, including the abduction of schoolchildren. During the same period, affected households paid an average ransom of N2.7 million.This is clear evidence of the staggering human cost of a country under siege.The government’s reluctance to confront terrorism with the firmness it demands lies at the heart of the worsening crisis. Pardoning insurgents sends an unmistakably dangerous signal: that people can embrace terrorism, commit unspeakable crimes and ultimately seek mercy.Countries such as Israel, the United States, the United Kingdom and Colombia have confronted terrorism with sustained investments in intelligence, technology and overwhelming security responses. They hardly, if ever, contemplate pardoning terrorists.While Nigeria compromises the future of its own children by failing to educate and protect them, insurgent groups are exploiting government indecision to build their own successor generation. Across parts of the North, terrorists continue to recruit and indoctrinate teenagers in alarming numbers.This is reckless. It is unacceptable. The Executive should heed the Senate’s resolution, suspend the pardon of insurgents and prosecute the war against terrorism with clarity, consistency and resolve. The only appropriate response to such crimes is the permanent removal of dangerous terrorists from society.Instead of rehabilitating terrorists, the government should channel its resources towards rehabilitating the true victims of terrorism, including displaced communities, bereaved families, injured security personnel and the families of those who made the ultimate sacrifice. The programme is domiciled in the Office of the National Security Adviser and is implemented by the military, the police, and more than 17 relevant ministries, departments, and agencies.Reports indicate that about 5,000 former Boko Haram insurgents have been rehabilitated and reintegrated into communities across the country, while 744 former terrorists and victims of violent extremism have graduated from the programme.Similarly, the Borno Model, an initiative of the Borno State Government, has reportedly rehabilitated and reintegrated about 8,000 former fighters and their families into their communities.From inception, however, Operation Safe Corridor has attracted strong public criticism because it misses the central point. Islamic terrorism is driven by a rigid Salafist ideology that does not readily lend itself to genuine repentance. Banditry has become its economic alter ego.Reports that about 10,000 pardoned terrorists have returned to the forests after completing the de-radicalisation programme because the government’s N100,000 monthly stipend could no longer sustain them expose the folly of the policy. If true, they demonstrate that Nigeria cannot effectively manage the so-called pardon of terrorists.Public policy cannot continue to be reduced to a laboratory for failed experiments. The argument that some terrorists were recruited against their will cannot justify granting them pardon after they have participated in heinous crimes.The terrorists have abducted more than 12 serving and retired generals, eight of whom were killed, including Richard Duru, who was murdered in September 2023 after his abductors collected a $50,000 ransom; Rabe Abubakar (May 2026); Dzarma Zirkusu (November 2021); and Musa Uba (2025).These are not offences deserving of pardon. Such a policy only emboldens terrorists by assuring them that even the worst atrocities can eventually be forgiven. That is not justice.The sacrifice of security personnel further underlines the absurdity of this approach. Police Inspector Jerome Abena was killed during the rescue mission to free the abducted Oriire schoolchildren and their teachers at the National Park in Oyo State earlier this month.Related NewsEx-CDS credits DSS with rescue of Oyo pupils, teachersSoldiers arrest suspected Sudanese terrorist, Ghanaian in BornoDefence minister denies resignation rumoursThe scale of the insurgency is equally sobering. While The PUNCH reported in August 2022 that terrorists attacked 16 military bases within 18 months and killed 750 soldiers, other reports indicate that between January and April 2026 alone, insurgents launched 15 attacks on military bases in Borno and Yobe states.Combined, Boko Haram, ISWAP, Lakurawa, Mahmuda, Ansaru and other insurgent groups have slaughtered more than 100,000 Nigerians, according to Vice-President Kashim Shettima.The devastation extends far beyond the battlefield. Insurgency has crippled education, destroyed livelihoods and robbed millions of children of their future by forcing parents to withdraw them from school.Today, more than 18.3 million Nigerian children—the second-highest out-of-school population in the world—are out of school, while over 180 schools remain shut across the North.During the administration of President Goodluck Jonathan, Boko Haram established a parallel government by seizing more than 27 local government areas across Borno, Yobe and Adamawa, its epicentre.Even now, some communities in northern Nigeria still pay taxes to terrorists.This is not merely a security challenge; it is a direct threat to Nigeria’s sovereignty and to the credibility of the 2027 general elections.The National Bureau of Statistics estimated that 2.24 million kidnapping incidents occurred between May 2023 and April 2024, including the abduction of schoolchildren. During the same period, affected households paid an average ransom of N2.7 million.This is clear evidence of the staggering human cost of a country under siege.The government’s reluctance to confront terrorism with the firmness it demands lies at the heart of the worsening crisis. Pardoning insurgents sends an unmistakably dangerous signal: that people can embrace terrorism, commit unspeakable crimes and ultimately seek mercy.Countries such as Israel, the United States, the United Kingdom and Colombia have confronted terrorism with sustained investments in intelligence, technology and overwhelming security responses. They hardly, if ever, contemplate pardoning terrorists.While Nigeria compromises the future of its own children by failing to educate and protect them, insurgent groups are exploiting government indecision to build their own successor generation. Across parts of the North, terrorists continue to recruit and indoctrinate teenagers in alarming numbers.This is reckless. It is unacceptable. The Executive should heed the Senate’s resolution, suspend the pardon of insurgents and prosecute the war against terrorism with clarity, consistency and resolve. The only appropriate response to such crimes is the permanent removal of dangerous terrorists from society.Instead of rehabilitating terrorists, the government should channel its resources towards rehabilitating the true victims of terrorism, including displaced communities, bereaved families, injured security personnel and the families of those who made the ultimate sacrifice. Reports indicate that about 5,000 former Boko Haram insurgents have been rehabilitated and reintegrated into communities across the country, while 744 former terrorists and victims of violent extremism have graduated from the programme.Similarly, the Borno Model, an initiative of the Borno State Government, has reportedly rehabilitated and reintegrated about 8,000 former fighters and their families into their communities.From inception, however, Operation Safe Corridor has attracted strong public criticism because it misses the central point. Islamic terrorism is driven by a rigid Salafist ideology that does not readily lend itself to genuine repentance. Banditry has become its economic alter ego.Reports that about 10,000 pardoned terrorists have returned to the forests after completing the de-radicalisation programme because the government’s N100,000 monthly stipend could no longer sustain them expose the folly of the policy. If true, they demonstrate that Nigeria cannot effectively manage the so-called pardon of terrorists.Public policy cannot continue to be reduced to a laboratory for failed experiments. The argument that some terrorists were recruited against their will cannot justify granting them pardon after they have participated in heinous crimes.The terrorists have abducted more than 12 serving and retired generals, eight of whom were killed, including Richard Duru, who was murdered in September 2023 after his abductors collected a $50,000 ransom; Rabe Abubakar (May 2026); Dzarma Zirkusu (November 2021); and Musa Uba (2025).These are not offences deserving of pardon. Such a policy only emboldens terrorists by assuring them that even the worst atrocities can eventually be forgiven. That is not justice.The sacrifice of security personnel further underlines the absurdity of this approach. Police Inspector Jerome Abena was killed during the rescue mission to free the abducted Oriire schoolchildren and their teachers at the National Park in Oyo State earlier this month.Related NewsEx-CDS credits DSS with rescue of Oyo pupils, teachersSoldiers arrest suspected Sudanese terrorist, Ghanaian in BornoDefence minister denies resignation rumoursThe scale of the insurgency is equally sobering. While The PUNCH reported in August 2022 that terrorists attacked 16 military bases within 18 months and killed 750 soldiers, other reports indicate that between January and April 2026 alone, insurgents launched 15 attacks on military bases in Borno and Yobe states.Combined, Boko Haram, ISWAP, Lakurawa, Mahmuda, Ansaru and other insurgent groups have slaughtered more than 100,000 Nigerians, according to Vice-President Kashim Shettima.The devastation extends far beyond the battlefield. Insurgency has crippled education, destroyed livelihoods and robbed millions of children of their future by forcing parents to withdraw them from school.Today, more than 18.3 million Nigerian children—the second-highest out-of-school population in the world—are out of school, while over 180 schools remain shut across the North.During the administration of President Goodluck Jonathan, Boko Haram established a parallel government by seizing more than 27 local government areas across Borno, Yobe and Adamawa, its epicentre.Even now, some communities in northern Nigeria still pay taxes to terrorists.This is not merely a security challenge; it is a direct threat to Nigeria’s sovereignty and to the credibility of the 2027 general elections.The National Bureau of Statistics estimated that 2.24 million kidnapping incidents occurred between May 2023 and April 2024, including the abduction of schoolchildren. During the same period, affected households paid an average ransom of N2.7 million.This is clear evidence of the staggering human cost of a country under siege.The government’s reluctance to confront terrorism with the firmness it demands lies at the heart of the worsening crisis. Pardoning insurgents sends an unmistakably dangerous signal: that people can embrace terrorism, commit unspeakable crimes and ultimately seek mercy.Countries such as Israel, the United States, the United Kingdom and Colombia have confronted terrorism with sustained investments in intelligence, technology and overwhelming security responses. They hardly, if ever, contemplate pardoning terrorists.While Nigeria compromises the future of its own children by failing to educate and protect them, insurgent groups are exploiting government indecision to build their own successor generation. Across parts of the North, terrorists continue to recruit and indoctrinate teenagers in alarming numbers.This is reckless. It is unacceptable. The Executive should heed the Senate’s resolution, suspend the pardon of insurgents and prosecute the war against terrorism with clarity, consistency and resolve. The only appropriate response to such crimes is the permanent removal of dangerous terrorists from society.Instead of rehabilitating terrorists, the government should channel its resources towards rehabilitating the true victims of terrorism, including displaced communities, bereaved families, injured security personnel and the families of those who made the ultimate sacrifice. Similarly, the Borno Model, an initiative of the Borno State Government, has reportedly rehabilitated and reintegrated about 8,000 former fighters and their families into their communities.From inception, however, Operation Safe Corridor has attracted strong public criticism because it misses the central point. Islamic terrorism is driven by a rigid Salafist ideology that does not readily lend itself to genuine repentance. Banditry has become its economic alter ego.Reports that about 10,000 pardoned terrorists have returned to the forests after completing the de-radicalisation programme because the government’s N100,000 monthly stipend could no longer sustain them expose the folly of the policy. If true, they demonstrate that Nigeria cannot effectively manage the so-called pardon of terrorists.Public policy cannot continue to be reduced to a laboratory for failed experiments. The argument that some terrorists were recruited against their will cannot justify granting them pardon after they have participated in heinous crimes.The terrorists have abducted more than 12 serving and retired generals, eight of whom were killed, including Richard Duru, who was murdered in September 2023 after his abductors collected a $50,000 ransom; Rabe Abubakar (May 2026); Dzarma Zirkusu (November 2021); and Musa Uba (2025).These are not offences deserving of pardon. Such a policy only emboldens terrorists by assuring them that even the worst atrocities can eventually be forgiven. That is not justice.The sacrifice of security personnel further underlines the absurdity of this approach. Police Inspector Jerome Abena was killed during the rescue mission to free the abducted Oriire schoolchildren and their teachers at the National Park in Oyo State earlier this month.Related NewsEx-CDS credits DSS with rescue of Oyo pupils, teachersSoldiers arrest suspected Sudanese terrorist, Ghanaian in BornoDefence minister denies resignation rumoursThe scale of the insurgency is equally sobering. While The PUNCH reported in August 2022 that terrorists attacked 16 military bases within 18 months and killed 750 soldiers, other reports indicate that between January and April 2026 alone, insurgents launched 15 attacks on military bases in Borno and Yobe states.Combined, Boko Haram, ISWAP, Lakurawa, Mahmuda, Ansaru and other insurgent groups have slaughtered more than 100,000 Nigerians, according to Vice-President Kashim Shettima.The devastation extends far beyond the battlefield. Insurgency has crippled education, destroyed livelihoods and robbed millions of children of their future by forcing parents to withdraw them from school.Today, more than 18.3 million Nigerian children—the second-highest out-of-school population in the world—are out of school, while over 180 schools remain shut across the North.During the administration of President Goodluck Jonathan, Boko Haram established a parallel government by seizing more than 27 local government areas across Borno, Yobe and Adamawa, its epicentre.Even now, some communities in northern Nigeria still pay taxes to terrorists.This is not merely a security challenge; it is a direct threat to Nigeria’s sovereignty and to the credibility of the 2027 general elections.The National Bureau of Statistics estimated that 2.24 million kidnapping incidents occurred between May 2023 and April 2024, including the abduction of schoolchildren. During the same period, affected households paid an average ransom of N2.7 million.This is clear evidence of the staggering human cost of a country under siege.The government’s reluctance to confront terrorism with the firmness it demands lies at the heart of the worsening crisis. Pardoning insurgents sends an unmistakably dangerous signal: that people can embrace terrorism, commit unspeakable crimes and ultimately seek mercy.Countries such as Israel, the United States, the United Kingdom and Colombia have confronted terrorism with sustained investments in intelligence, technology and overwhelming security responses. They hardly, if ever, contemplate pardoning terrorists.While Nigeria compromises the future of its own children by failing to educate and protect them, insurgent groups are exploiting government indecision to build their own successor generation. Across parts of the North, terrorists continue to recruit and indoctrinate teenagers in alarming numbers.This is reckless. It is unacceptable. The Executive should heed the Senate’s resolution, suspend the pardon of insurgents and prosecute the war against terrorism with clarity, consistency and resolve. The only appropriate response to such crimes is the permanent removal of dangerous terrorists from society.Instead of rehabilitating terrorists, the government should channel its resources towards rehabilitating the true victims of terrorism, including displaced communities, bereaved families, injured security personnel and the families of those who made the ultimate sacrifice. From inception, however, Operation Safe Corridor has attracted strong public criticism because it misses the central point. Islamic terrorism is driven by a rigid Salafist ideology that does not readily lend itself to genuine repentance. Banditry has become its economic alter ego.Reports that about 10,000 pardoned terrorists have returned to the forests after completing the de-radicalisation programme because the government’s N100,000 monthly stipend could no longer sustain them expose the folly of the policy. If true, they demonstrate that Nigeria cannot effectively manage the so-called pardon of terrorists.Public policy cannot continue to be reduced to a laboratory for failed experiments. The argument that some terrorists were recruited against their will cannot justify granting them pardon after they have participated in heinous crimes.The terrorists have abducted more than 12 serving and retired generals, eight of whom were killed, including Richard Duru, who was murdered in September 2023 after his abductors collected a $50,000 ransom; Rabe Abubakar (May 2026); Dzarma Zirkusu (November 2021); and Musa Uba (2025).These are not offences deserving of pardon. Such a policy only emboldens terrorists by assuring them that even the worst atrocities can eventually be forgiven. That is not justice.The sacrifice of security personnel further underlines the absurdity of this approach. Police Inspector Jerome Abena was killed during the rescue mission to free the abducted Oriire schoolchildren and their teachers at the National Park in Oyo State earlier this month.Related NewsEx-CDS credits DSS with rescue of Oyo pupils, teachersSoldiers arrest suspected Sudanese terrorist, Ghanaian in BornoDefence minister denies resignation rumoursThe scale of the insurgency is equally sobering. While The PUNCH reported in August 2022 that terrorists attacked 16 military bases within 18 months and killed 750 soldiers, other reports indicate that between January and April 2026 alone, insurgents launched 15 attacks on military bases in Borno and Yobe states.Combined, Boko Haram, ISWAP, Lakurawa, Mahmuda, Ansaru and other insurgent groups have slaughtered more than 100,000 Nigerians, according to Vice-President Kashim Shettima.The devastation extends far beyond the battlefield. Insurgency has crippled education, destroyed livelihoods and robbed millions of children of their future by forcing parents to withdraw them from school.Today, more than 18.3 million Nigerian children—the second-highest out-of-school population in the world—are out of school, while over 180 schools remain shut across the North.During the administration of President Goodluck Jonathan, Boko Haram established a parallel government by seizing more than 27 local government areas across Borno, Yobe and Adamawa, its epicentre.Even now, some communities in northern Nigeria still pay taxes to terrorists.This is not merely a security challenge; it is a direct threat to Nigeria’s sovereignty and to the credibility of the 2027 general elections.The National Bureau of Statistics estimated that 2.24 million kidnapping incidents occurred between May 2023 and April 2024, including the abduction of schoolchildren. During the same period, affected households paid an average ransom of N2.7 million.This is clear evidence of the staggering human cost of a country under siege.The government’s reluctance to confront terrorism with the firmness it demands lies at the heart of the worsening crisis. Pardoning insurgents sends an unmistakably dangerous signal: that people can embrace terrorism, commit unspeakable crimes and ultimately seek mercy.Countries such as Israel, the United States, the United Kingdom and Colombia have confronted terrorism with sustained investments in intelligence, technology and overwhelming security responses. They hardly, if ever, contemplate pardoning terrorists.While Nigeria compromises the future of its own children by failing to educate and protect them, insurgent groups are exploiting government indecision to build their own successor generation. Across parts of the North, terrorists continue to recruit and indoctrinate teenagers in alarming numbers.This is reckless. It is unacceptable. The Executive should heed the Senate’s resolution, suspend the pardon of insurgents and prosecute the war against terrorism with clarity, consistency and resolve. The only appropriate response to such crimes is the permanent removal of dangerous terrorists from society.Instead of rehabilitating terrorists, the government should channel its resources towards rehabilitating the true victims of terrorism, including displaced communities, bereaved families, injured security personnel and the families of those who made the ultimate sacrifice. Reports that about 10,000 pardoned terrorists have returned to the forests after completing the de-radicalisation programme because the government’s N100,000 monthly stipend could no longer sustain them expose the folly of the policy. If true, they demonstrate that Nigeria cannot effectively manage the so-called pardon of terrorists.Public policy cannot continue to be reduced to a laboratory for failed experiments. The argument that some terrorists were recruited against their will cannot justify granting them pardon after they have participated in heinous crimes.The terrorists have abducted more than 12 serving and retired generals, eight of whom were killed, including Richard Duru, who was murdered in September 2023 after his abductors collected a $50,000 ransom; Rabe Abubakar (May 2026); Dzarma Zirkusu (November 2021); and Musa Uba (2025).These are not offences deserving of pardon. Such a policy only emboldens terrorists by assuring them that even the worst atrocities can eventually be forgiven. That is not justice.The sacrifice of security personnel further underlines the absurdity of this approach. Police Inspector Jerome Abena was killed during the rescue mission to free the abducted Oriire schoolchildren and their teachers at the National Park in Oyo State earlier this month.Related NewsEx-CDS credits DSS with rescue of Oyo pupils, teachersSoldiers arrest suspected Sudanese terrorist, Ghanaian in BornoDefence minister denies resignation rumoursThe scale of the insurgency is equally sobering. While The PUNCH reported in August 2022 that terrorists attacked 16 military bases within 18 months and killed 750 soldiers, other reports indicate that between January and April 2026 alone, insurgents launched 15 attacks on military bases in Borno and Yobe states.Combined, Boko Haram, ISWAP, Lakurawa, Mahmuda, Ansaru and other insurgent groups have slaughtered more than 100,000 Nigerians, according to Vice-President Kashim Shettima.The devastation extends far beyond the battlefield. Insurgency has crippled education, destroyed livelihoods and robbed millions of children of their future by forcing parents to withdraw them from school.Today, more than 18.3 million Nigerian children—the second-highest out-of-school population in the world—are out of school, while over 180 schools remain shut across the North.During the administration of President Goodluck Jonathan, Boko Haram established a parallel government by seizing more than 27 local government areas across Borno, Yobe and Adamawa, its epicentre.Even now, some communities in northern Nigeria still pay taxes to terrorists.This is not merely a security challenge; it is a direct threat to Nigeria’s sovereignty and to the credibility of the 2027 general elections.The National Bureau of Statistics estimated that 2.24 million kidnapping incidents occurred between May 2023 and April 2024, including the abduction of schoolchildren. During the same period, affected households paid an average ransom of N2.7 million.This is clear evidence of the staggering human cost of a country under siege.The government’s reluctance to confront terrorism with the firmness it demands lies at the heart of the worsening crisis. Pardoning insurgents sends an unmistakably dangerous signal: that people can embrace terrorism, commit unspeakable crimes and ultimately seek mercy.Countries such as Israel, the United States, the United Kingdom and Colombia have confronted terrorism with sustained investments in intelligence, technology and overwhelming security responses. They hardly, if ever, contemplate pardoning terrorists.While Nigeria compromises the future of its own children by failing to educate and protect them, insurgent groups are exploiting government indecision to build their own successor generation. Across parts of the North, terrorists continue to recruit and indoctrinate teenagers in alarming numbers.This is reckless. It is unacceptable. The Executive should heed the Senate’s resolution, suspend the pardon of insurgents and prosecute the war against terrorism with clarity, consistency and resolve. The only appropriate response to such crimes is the permanent removal of dangerous terrorists from society.Instead of rehabilitating terrorists, the government should channel its resources towards rehabilitating the true victims of terrorism, including displaced communities, bereaved families, injured security personnel and the families of those who made the ultimate sacrifice. Public policy cannot continue to be reduced to a laboratory for failed experiments. The argument that some terrorists were recruited against their will cannot justify granting them pardon after they have participated in heinous crimes.The terrorists have abducted more than 12 serving and retired generals, eight of whom were killed, including Richard Duru, who was murdered in September 2023 after his abductors collected a $50,000 ransom; Rabe Abubakar (May 2026); Dzarma Zirkusu (November 2021); and Musa Uba (2025).These are not offences deserving of pardon. Such a policy only emboldens terrorists by assuring them that even the worst atrocities can eventually be forgiven. That is not justice.The sacrifice of security personnel further underlines the absurdity of this approach. Police Inspector Jerome Abena was killed during the rescue mission to free the abducted Oriire schoolchildren and their teachers at the National Park in Oyo State earlier this month.Related NewsEx-CDS credits DSS with rescue of Oyo pupils, teachersSoldiers arrest suspected Sudanese terrorist, Ghanaian in BornoDefence minister denies resignation rumoursThe scale of the insurgency is equally sobering. While The PUNCH reported in August 2022 that terrorists attacked 16 military bases within 18 months and killed 750 soldiers, other reports indicate that between January and April 2026 alone, insurgents launched 15 attacks on military bases in Borno and Yobe states.Combined, Boko Haram, ISWAP, Lakurawa, Mahmuda, Ansaru and other insurgent groups have slaughtered more than 100,000 Nigerians, according to Vice-President Kashim Shettima.The devastation extends far beyond the battlefield. Insurgency has crippled education, destroyed livelihoods and robbed millions of children of their future by forcing parents to withdraw them from school.Today, more than 18.3 million Nigerian children—the second-highest out-of-school population in the world—are out of school, while over 180 schools remain shut across the North.During the administration of President Goodluck Jonathan, Boko Haram established a parallel government by seizing more than 27 local government areas across Borno, Yobe and Adamawa, its epicentre.Even now, some communities in northern Nigeria still pay taxes to terrorists.This is not merely a security challenge; it is a direct threat to Nigeria’s sovereignty and to the credibility of the 2027 general elections.The National Bureau of Statistics estimated that 2.24 million kidnapping incidents occurred between May 2023 and April 2024, including the abduction of schoolchildren. During the same period, affected households paid an average ransom of N2.7 million.This is clear evidence of the staggering human cost of a country under siege.The government’s reluctance to confront terrorism with the firmness it demands lies at the heart of the worsening crisis. Pardoning insurgents sends an unmistakably dangerous signal: that people can embrace terrorism, commit unspeakable crimes and ultimately seek mercy.Countries such as Israel, the United States, the United Kingdom and Colombia have confronted terrorism with sustained investments in intelligence, technology and overwhelming security responses. They hardly, if ever, contemplate pardoning terrorists.While Nigeria compromises the future of its own children by failing to educate and protect them, insurgent groups are exploiting government indecision to build their own successor generation. Across parts of the North, terrorists continue to recruit and indoctrinate teenagers in alarming numbers.This is reckless. It is unacceptable. The Executive should heed the Senate’s resolution, suspend the pardon of insurgents and prosecute the war against terrorism with clarity, consistency and resolve. The only appropriate response to such crimes is the permanent removal of dangerous terrorists from society.Instead of rehabilitating terrorists, the government should channel its resources towards rehabilitating the true victims of terrorism, including displaced communities, bereaved families, injured security personnel and the families of those who made the ultimate sacrifice. The terrorists have abducted more than 12 serving and retired generals, eight of whom were killed, including Richard Duru, who was murdered in September 2023 after his abductors collected a $50,000 ransom; Rabe Abubakar (May 2026); Dzarma Zirkusu (November 2021); and Musa Uba (2025).These are not offences deserving of pardon. Such a policy only emboldens terrorists by assuring them that even the worst atrocities can eventually be forgiven. That is not justice.The sacrifice of security personnel further underlines the absurdity of this approach. Police Inspector Jerome Abena was killed during the rescue mission to free the abducted Oriire schoolchildren and their teachers at the National Park in Oyo State earlier this month.Related NewsEx-CDS credits DSS with rescue of Oyo pupils, teachersSoldiers arrest suspected Sudanese terrorist, Ghanaian in BornoDefence minister denies resignation rumoursThe scale of the insurgency is equally sobering. While The PUNCH reported in August 2022 that terrorists attacked 16 military bases within 18 months and killed 750 soldiers, other reports indicate that between January and April 2026 alone, insurgents launched 15 attacks on military bases in Borno and Yobe states.Combined, Boko Haram, ISWAP, Lakurawa, Mahmuda, Ansaru and other insurgent groups have slaughtered more than 100,000 Nigerians, according to Vice-President Kashim Shettima.The devastation extends far beyond the battlefield. Insurgency has crippled education, destroyed livelihoods and robbed millions of children of their future by forcing parents to withdraw them from school.Today, more than 18.3 million Nigerian children—the second-highest out-of-school population in the world—are out of school, while over 180 schools remain shut across the North.During the administration of President Goodluck Jonathan, Boko Haram established a parallel government by seizing more than 27 local government areas across Borno, Yobe and Adamawa, its epicentre.Even now, some communities in northern Nigeria still pay taxes to terrorists.This is not merely a security challenge; it is a direct threat to Nigeria’s sovereignty and to the credibility of the 2027 general elections.The National Bureau of Statistics estimated that 2.24 million kidnapping incidents occurred between May 2023 and April 2024, including the abduction of schoolchildren. During the same period, affected households paid an average ransom of N2.7 million.This is clear evidence of the staggering human cost of a country under siege.The government’s reluctance to confront terrorism with the firmness it demands lies at the heart of the worsening crisis. Pardoning insurgents sends an unmistakably dangerous signal: that people can embrace terrorism, commit unspeakable crimes and ultimately seek mercy.Countries such as Israel, the United States, the United Kingdom and Colombia have confronted terrorism with sustained investments in intelligence, technology and overwhelming security responses. They hardly, if ever, contemplate pardoning terrorists.While Nigeria compromises the future of its own children by failing to educate and protect them, insurgent groups are exploiting government indecision to build their own successor generation. Across parts of the North, terrorists continue to recruit and indoctrinate teenagers in alarming numbers.This is reckless. It is unacceptable. The Executive should heed the Senate’s resolution, suspend the pardon of insurgents and prosecute the war against terrorism with clarity, consistency and resolve. The only appropriate response to such crimes is the permanent removal of dangerous terrorists from society.Instead of rehabilitating terrorists, the government should channel its resources towards rehabilitating the true victims of terrorism, including displaced communities, bereaved families, injured security personnel and the families of those who made the ultimate sacrifice. These are not offences deserving of pardon. Such a policy only emboldens terrorists by assuring them that even the worst atrocities can eventually be forgiven. That is not justice.The sacrifice of security personnel further underlines the absurdity of this approach. Police Inspector Jerome Abena was killed during the rescue mission to free the abducted Oriire schoolchildren and their teachers at the National Park in Oyo State earlier this month.Related NewsEx-CDS credits DSS with rescue of Oyo pupils, teachersSoldiers arrest suspected Sudanese terrorist, Ghanaian in BornoDefence minister denies resignation rumoursThe scale of the insurgency is equally sobering. While The PUNCH reported in August 2022 that terrorists attacked 16 military bases within 18 months and killed 750 soldiers, other reports indicate that between January and April 2026 alone, insurgents launched 15 attacks on military bases in Borno and Yobe states.Combined, Boko Haram, ISWAP, Lakurawa, Mahmuda, Ansaru and other insurgent groups have slaughtered more than 100,000 Nigerians, according to Vice-President Kashim Shettima.The devastation extends far beyond the battlefield. Insurgency has crippled education, destroyed livelihoods and robbed millions of children of their future by forcing parents to withdraw them from school.Today, more than 18.3 million Nigerian children—the second-highest out-of-school population in the world—are out of school, while over 180 schools remain shut across the North.During the administration of President Goodluck Jonathan, Boko Haram established a parallel government by seizing more than 27 local government areas across Borno, Yobe and Adamawa, its epicentre.Even now, some communities in northern Nigeria still pay taxes to terrorists.This is not merely a security challenge; it is a direct threat to Nigeria’s sovereignty and to the credibility of the 2027 general elections.The National Bureau of Statistics estimated that 2.24 million kidnapping incidents occurred between May 2023 and April 2024, including the abduction of schoolchildren. During the same period, affected households paid an average ransom of N2.7 million.This is clear evidence of the staggering human cost of a country under siege.The government’s reluctance to confront terrorism with the firmness it demands lies at the heart of the worsening crisis. Pardoning insurgents sends an unmistakably dangerous signal: that people can embrace terrorism, commit unspeakable crimes and ultimately seek mercy.Countries such as Israel, the United States, the United Kingdom and Colombia have confronted terrorism with sustained investments in intelligence, technology and overwhelming security responses. They hardly, if ever, contemplate pardoning terrorists.While Nigeria compromises the future of its own children by failing to educate and protect them, insurgent groups are exploiting government indecision to build their own successor generation. Across parts of the North, terrorists continue to recruit and indoctrinate teenagers in alarming numbers.This is reckless. It is unacceptable. The Executive should heed the Senate’s resolution, suspend the pardon of insurgents and prosecute the war against terrorism with clarity, consistency and resolve. The only appropriate response to such crimes is the permanent removal of dangerous terrorists from society.Instead of rehabilitating terrorists, the government should channel its resources towards rehabilitating the true victims of terrorism, including displaced communities, bereaved families, injured security personnel and the families of those who made the ultimate sacrifice. The sacrifice of security personnel further underlines the absurdity of this approach. Police Inspector Jerome Abena was killed during the rescue mission to free the abducted Oriire schoolchildren and their teachers at the National Park in Oyo State earlier this month.Related NewsEx-CDS credits DSS with rescue of Oyo pupils, teachersSoldiers arrest suspected Sudanese terrorist, Ghanaian in BornoDefence minister denies resignation rumoursThe scale of the insurgency is equally sobering. While The PUNCH reported in August 2022 that terrorists attacked 16 military bases within 18 months and killed 750 soldiers, other reports indicate that between January and April 2026 alone, insurgents launched 15 attacks on military bases in Borno and Yobe states.Combined, Boko Haram, ISWAP, Lakurawa, Mahmuda, Ansaru and other insurgent groups have slaughtered more than 100,000 Nigerians, according to Vice-President Kashim Shettima.The devastation extends far beyond the battlefield. Insurgency has crippled education, destroyed livelihoods and robbed millions of children of their future by forcing parents to withdraw them from school.Today, more than 18.3 million Nigerian children—the second-highest out-of-school population in the world—are out of school, while over 180 schools remain shut across the North.During the administration of President Goodluck Jonathan, Boko Haram established a parallel government by seizing more than 27 local government areas across Borno, Yobe and Adamawa, its epicentre.Even now, some communities in northern Nigeria still pay taxes to terrorists.This is not merely a security challenge; it is a direct threat to Nigeria’s sovereignty and to the credibility of the 2027 general elections.The National Bureau of Statistics estimated that 2.24 million kidnapping incidents occurred between May 2023 and April 2024, including the abduction of schoolchildren. During the same period, affected households paid an average ransom of N2.7 million.This is clear evidence of the staggering human cost of a country under siege.The government’s reluctance to confront terrorism with the firmness it demands lies at the heart of the worsening crisis. Pardoning insurgents sends an unmistakably dangerous signal: that people can embrace terrorism, commit unspeakable crimes and ultimately seek mercy.Countries such as Israel, the United States, the United Kingdom and Colombia have confronted terrorism with sustained investments in intelligence, technology and overwhelming security responses. They hardly, if ever, contemplate pardoning terrorists.While Nigeria compromises the future of its own children by failing to educate and protect them, insurgent groups are exploiting government indecision to build their own successor generation. Across parts of the North, terrorists continue to recruit and indoctrinate teenagers in alarming numbers.This is reckless. It is unacceptable. The Executive should heed the Senate’s resolution, suspend the pardon of insurgents and prosecute the war against terrorism with clarity, consistency and resolve. The only appropriate response to such crimes is the permanent removal of dangerous terrorists from society.Instead of rehabilitating terrorists, the government should channel its resources towards rehabilitating the true victims of terrorism, including displaced communities, bereaved families, injured security personnel and the families of those who made the ultimate sacrifice. The scale of the insurgency is equally sobering. While The PUNCH reported in August 2022 that terrorists attacked 16 military bases within 18 months and killed 750 soldiers, other reports indicate that between January and April 2026 alone, insurgents launched 15 attacks on military bases in Borno and Yobe states.Combined, Boko Haram, ISWAP, Lakurawa, Mahmuda, Ansaru and other insurgent groups have slaughtered more than 100,000 Nigerians, according to Vice-President Kashim Shettima.The devastation extends far beyond the battlefield. Insurgency has crippled education, destroyed livelihoods and robbed millions of children of their future by forcing parents to withdraw them from school.Today, more than 18.3 million Nigerian children—the second-highest out-of-school population in the world—are out of school, while over 180 schools remain shut across the North.During the administration of President Goodluck Jonathan, Boko Haram established a parallel government by seizing more than 27 local government areas across Borno, Yobe and Adamawa, its epicentre.Even now, some communities in northern Nigeria still pay taxes to terrorists.This is not merely a security challenge; it is a direct threat to Nigeria’s sovereignty and to the credibility of the 2027 general elections.The National Bureau of Statistics estimated that 2.24 million kidnapping incidents occurred between May 2023 and April 2024, including the abduction of schoolchildren. During the same period, affected households paid an average ransom of N2.7 million.This is clear evidence of the staggering human cost of a country under siege.The government’s reluctance to confront terrorism with the firmness it demands lies at the heart of the worsening crisis. Pardoning insurgents sends an unmistakably dangerous signal: that people can embrace terrorism, commit unspeakable crimes and ultimately seek mercy.Countries such as Israel, the United States, the United Kingdom and Colombia have confronted terrorism with sustained investments in intelligence, technology and overwhelming security responses. They hardly, if ever, contemplate pardoning terrorists.While Nigeria compromises the future of its own children by failing to educate and protect them, insurgent groups are exploiting government indecision to build their own successor generation. Across parts of the North, terrorists continue to recruit and indoctrinate teenagers in alarming numbers.This is reckless. It is unacceptable. The Executive should heed the Senate’s resolution, suspend the pardon of insurgents and prosecute the war against terrorism with clarity, consistency and resolve. The only appropriate response to such crimes is the permanent removal of dangerous terrorists from society.Instead of rehabilitating terrorists, the government should channel its resources towards rehabilitating the true victims of terrorism, including displaced communities, bereaved families, injured security personnel and the families of those who made the ultimate sacrifice. Combined, Boko Haram, ISWAP, Lakurawa, Mahmuda, Ansaru and other insurgent groups have slaughtered more than 100,000 Nigerians, according to Vice-President Kashim Shettima.The devastation extends far beyond the battlefield. Insurgency has crippled education, destroyed livelihoods and robbed millions of children of their future by forcing parents to withdraw them from school.Today, more than 18.3 million Nigerian children—the second-highest out-of-school population in the world—are out of school, while over 180 schools remain shut across the North.During the administration of President Goodluck Jonathan, Boko Haram established a parallel government by seizing more than 27 local government areas across Borno, Yobe and Adamawa, its epicentre.Even now, some communities in northern Nigeria still pay taxes to terrorists.This is not merely a security challenge; it is a direct threat to Nigeria’s sovereignty and to the credibility of the 2027 general elections.The National Bureau of Statistics estimated that 2.24 million kidnapping incidents occurred between May 2023 and April 2024, including the abduction of schoolchildren. During the same period, affected households paid an average ransom of N2.7 million.This is clear evidence of the staggering human cost of a country under siege.The government’s reluctance to confront terrorism with the firmness it demands lies at the heart of the worsening crisis. Pardoning insurgents sends an unmistakably dangerous signal: that people can embrace terrorism, commit unspeakable crimes and ultimately seek mercy.Countries such as Israel, the United States, the United Kingdom and Colombia have confronted terrorism with sustained investments in intelligence, technology and overwhelming security responses. They hardly, if ever, contemplate pardoning terrorists.While Nigeria compromises the future of its own children by failing to educate and protect them, insurgent groups are exploiting government indecision to build their own successor generation. Across parts of the North, terrorists continue to recruit and indoctrinate teenagers in alarming numbers.This is reckless. It is unacceptable. The Executive should heed the Senate’s resolution, suspend the pardon of insurgents and prosecute the war against terrorism with clarity, consistency and resolve. The only appropriate response to such crimes is the permanent removal of dangerous terrorists from society.Instead of rehabilitating terrorists, the government should channel its resources towards rehabilitating the true victims of terrorism, including displaced communities, bereaved families, injured security personnel and the families of those who made the ultimate sacrifice. The devastation extends far beyond the battlefield. Insurgency has crippled education, destroyed livelihoods and robbed millions of children of their future by forcing parents to withdraw them from school.Today, more than 18.3 million Nigerian children—the second-highest out-of-school population in the world—are out of school, while over 180 schools remain shut across the North.During the administration of President Goodluck Jonathan, Boko Haram established a parallel government by seizing more than 27 local government areas across Borno, Yobe and Adamawa, its epicentre.Even now, some communities in northern Nigeria still pay taxes to terrorists.This is not merely a security challenge; it is a direct threat to Nigeria’s sovereignty and to the credibility of the 2027 general elections.The National Bureau of Statistics estimated that 2.24 million kidnapping incidents occurred between May 2023 and April 2024, including the abduction of schoolchildren. During the same period, affected households paid an average ransom of N2.7 million.This is clear evidence of the staggering human cost of a country under siege.The government’s reluctance to confront terrorism with the firmness it demands lies at the heart of the worsening crisis. Pardoning insurgents sends an unmistakably dangerous signal: that people can embrace terrorism, commit unspeakable crimes and ultimately seek mercy.Countries such as Israel, the United States, the United Kingdom and Colombia have confronted terrorism with sustained investments in intelligence, technology and overwhelming security responses. They hardly, if ever, contemplate pardoning terrorists.While Nigeria compromises the future of its own children by failing to educate and protect them, insurgent groups are exploiting government indecision to build their own successor generation. Across parts of the North, terrorists continue to recruit and indoctrinate teenagers in alarming numbers.This is reckless. It is unacceptable. The Executive should heed the Senate’s resolution, suspend the pardon of insurgents and prosecute the war against terrorism with clarity, consistency and resolve. The only appropriate response to such crimes is the permanent removal of dangerous terrorists from society.Instead of rehabilitating terrorists, the government should channel its resources towards rehabilitating the true victims of terrorism, including displaced communities, bereaved families, injured security personnel and the families of those who made the ultimate sacrifice. Today, more than 18.3 million Nigerian children—the second-highest out-of-school population in the world—are out of school, while over 180 schools remain shut across the North.During the administration of President Goodluck Jonathan, Boko Haram established a parallel government by seizing more than 27 local government areas across Borno, Yobe and Adamawa, its epicentre.Even now, some communities in northern Nigeria still pay taxes to terrorists.This is not merely a security challenge; it is a direct threat to Nigeria’s sovereignty and to the credibility of the 2027 general elections.The National Bureau of Statistics estimated that 2.24 million kidnapping incidents occurred between May 2023 and April 2024, including the abduction of schoolchildren. During the same period, affected households paid an average ransom of N2.7 million.This is clear evidence of the staggering human cost of a country under siege.The government’s reluctance to confront terrorism with the firmness it demands lies at the heart of the worsening crisis. Pardoning insurgents sends an unmistakably dangerous signal: that people can embrace terrorism, commit unspeakable crimes and ultimately seek mercy.Countries such as Israel, the United States, the United Kingdom and Colombia have confronted terrorism with sustained investments in intelligence, technology and overwhelming security responses. They hardly, if ever, contemplate pardoning terrorists.While Nigeria compromises the future of its own children by failing to educate and protect them, insurgent groups are exploiting government indecision to build their own successor generation. Across parts of the North, terrorists continue to recruit and indoctrinate teenagers in alarming numbers.This is reckless. It is unacceptable. The Executive should heed the Senate’s resolution, suspend the pardon of insurgents and prosecute the war against terrorism with clarity, consistency and resolve. The only appropriate response to such crimes is the permanent removal of dangerous terrorists from society.Instead of rehabilitating terrorists, the government should channel its resources towards rehabilitating the true victims of terrorism, including displaced communities, bereaved families, injured security personnel and the families of those who made the ultimate sacrifice. During the administration of President Goodluck Jonathan, Boko Haram established a parallel government by seizing more than 27 local government areas across Borno, Yobe and Adamawa, its epicentre.Even now, some communities in northern Nigeria still pay taxes to terrorists.This is not merely a security challenge; it is a direct threat to Nigeria’s sovereignty and to the credibility of the 2027 general elections.The National Bureau of Statistics estimated that 2.24 million kidnapping incidents occurred between May 2023 and April 2024, including the abduction of schoolchildren. During the same period, affected households paid an average ransom of N2.7 million.This is clear evidence of the staggering human cost of a country under siege.The government’s reluctance to confront terrorism with the firmness it demands lies at the heart of the worsening crisis. Pardoning insurgents sends an unmistakably dangerous signal: that people can embrace terrorism, commit unspeakable crimes and ultimately seek mercy.Countries such as Israel, the United States, the United Kingdom and Colombia have confronted terrorism with sustained investments in intelligence, technology and overwhelming security responses. They hardly, if ever, contemplate pardoning terrorists.While Nigeria compromises the future of its own children by failing to educate and protect them, insurgent groups are exploiting government indecision to build their own successor generation. Across parts of the North, terrorists continue to recruit and indoctrinate teenagers in alarming numbers.This is reckless. It is unacceptable. The Executive should heed the Senate’s resolution, suspend the pardon of insurgents and prosecute the war against terrorism with clarity, consistency and resolve. The only appropriate response to such crimes is the permanent removal of dangerous terrorists from society.Instead of rehabilitating terrorists, the government should channel its resources towards rehabilitating the true victims of terrorism, including displaced communities, bereaved families, injured security personnel and the families of those who made the ultimate sacrifice. Even now, some communities in northern Nigeria still pay taxes to terrorists.This is not merely a security challenge; it is a direct threat to Nigeria’s sovereignty and to the credibility of the 2027 general elections.The National Bureau of Statistics estimated that 2.24 million kidnapping incidents occurred between May 2023 and April 2024, including the abduction of schoolchildren. During the same period, affected households paid an average ransom of N2.7 million.This is clear evidence of the staggering human cost of a country under siege.The government’s reluctance to confront terrorism with the firmness it demands lies at the heart of the worsening crisis. Pardoning insurgents sends an unmistakably dangerous signal: that people can embrace terrorism, commit unspeakable crimes and ultimately seek mercy.Countries such as Israel, the United States, the United Kingdom and Colombia have confronted terrorism with sustained investments in intelligence, technology and overwhelming security responses. They hardly, if ever, contemplate pardoning terrorists.While Nigeria compromises the future of its own children by failing to educate and protect them, insurgent groups are exploiting government indecision to build their own successor generation. Across parts of the North, terrorists continue to recruit and indoctrinate teenagers in alarming numbers.This is reckless. It is unacceptable. The Executive should heed the Senate’s resolution, suspend the pardon of insurgents and prosecute the war against terrorism with clarity, consistency and resolve. The only appropriate response to such crimes is the permanent removal of dangerous terrorists from society.Instead of rehabilitating terrorists, the government should channel its resources towards rehabilitating the true victims of terrorism, including displaced communities, bereaved families, injured security personnel and the families of those who made the ultimate sacrifice. This is not merely a security challenge; it is a direct threat to Nigeria’s sovereignty and to the credibility of the 2027 general elections.The National Bureau of Statistics estimated that 2.24 million kidnapping incidents occurred between May 2023 and April 2024, including the abduction of schoolchildren. During the same period, affected households paid an average ransom of N2.7 million.This is clear evidence of the staggering human cost of a country under siege.The government’s reluctance to confront terrorism with the firmness it demands lies at the heart of the worsening crisis. Pardoning insurgents sends an unmistakably dangerous signal: that people can embrace terrorism, commit unspeakable crimes and ultimately seek mercy.Countries such as Israel, the United States, the United Kingdom and Colombia have confronted terrorism with sustained investments in intelligence, technology and overwhelming security responses. They hardly, if ever, contemplate pardoning terrorists.While Nigeria compromises the future of its own children by failing to educate and protect them, insurgent groups are exploiting government indecision to build their own successor generation. Across parts of the North, terrorists continue to recruit and indoctrinate teenagers in alarming numbers.This is reckless. It is unacceptable. The Executive should heed the Senate’s resolution, suspend the pardon of insurgents and prosecute the war against terrorism with clarity, consistency and resolve. The only appropriate response to such crimes is the permanent removal of dangerous terrorists from society.Instead of rehabilitating terrorists, the government should channel its resources towards rehabilitating the true victims of terrorism, including displaced communities, bereaved families, injured security personnel and the families of those who made the ultimate sacrifice. The National Bureau of Statistics estimated that 2.24 million kidnapping incidents occurred between May 2023 and April 2024, including the abduction of schoolchildren. During the same period, affected households paid an average ransom of N2.7 million.This is clear evidence of the staggering human cost of a country under siege.The government’s reluctance to confront terrorism with the firmness it demands lies at the heart of the worsening crisis. Pardoning insurgents sends an unmistakably dangerous signal: that people can embrace terrorism, commit unspeakable crimes and ultimately seek mercy.Countries such as Israel, the United States, the United Kingdom and Colombia have confronted terrorism with sustained investments in intelligence, technology and overwhelming security responses. They hardly, if ever, contemplate pardoning terrorists.While Nigeria compromises the future of its own children by failing to educate and protect them, insurgent groups are exploiting government indecision to build their own successor generation. Across parts of the North, terrorists continue to recruit and indoctrinate teenagers in alarming numbers.This is reckless. It is unacceptable. The Executive should heed the Senate’s resolution, suspend the pardon of insurgents and prosecute the war against terrorism with clarity, consistency and resolve. The only appropriate response to such crimes is the permanent removal of dangerous terrorists from society.Instead of rehabilitating terrorists, the government should channel its resources towards rehabilitating the true victims of terrorism, including displaced communities, bereaved families, injured security personnel and the families of those who made the ultimate sacrifice. This is clear evidence of the staggering human cost of a country under siege.The government’s reluctance to confront terrorism with the firmness it demands lies at the heart of the worsening crisis. Pardoning insurgents sends an unmistakably dangerous signal: that people can embrace terrorism, commit unspeakable crimes and ultimately seek mercy.Countries such as Israel, the United States, the United Kingdom and Colombia have confronted terrorism with sustained investments in intelligence, technology and overwhelming security responses. They hardly, if ever, contemplate pardoning terrorists.While Nigeria compromises the future of its own children by failing to educate and protect them, insurgent groups are exploiting government indecision to build their own successor generation. Across parts of the North, terrorists continue to recruit and indoctrinate teenagers in alarming numbers.This is reckless. It is unacceptable. The Executive should heed the Senate’s resolution, suspend the pardon of insurgents and prosecute the war against terrorism with clarity, consistency and resolve. The only appropriate response to such crimes is the permanent removal of dangerous terrorists from society.Instead of rehabilitating terrorists, the government should channel its resources towards rehabilitating the true victims of terrorism, including displaced communities, bereaved families, injured security personnel and the families of those who made the ultimate sacrifice. The government’s reluctance to confront terrorism with the firmness it demands lies at the heart of the worsening crisis. Pardoning insurgents sends an unmistakably dangerous signal: that people can embrace terrorism, commit unspeakable crimes and ultimately seek mercy.Countries such as Israel, the United States, the United Kingdom and Colombia have confronted terrorism with sustained investments in intelligence, technology and overwhelming security responses. They hardly, if ever, contemplate pardoning terrorists.While Nigeria compromises the future of its own children by failing to educate and protect them, insurgent groups are exploiting government indecision to build their own successor generation. Across parts of the North, terrorists continue to recruit and indoctrinate teenagers in alarming numbers.This is reckless. It is unacceptable. The Executive should heed the Senate’s resolution, suspend the pardon of insurgents and prosecute the war against terrorism with clarity, consistency and resolve. The only appropriate response to such crimes is the permanent removal of dangerous terrorists from society.Instead of rehabilitating terrorists, the government should channel its resources towards rehabilitating the true victims of terrorism, including displaced communities, bereaved families, injured security personnel and the families of those who made the ultimate sacrifice. Countries such as Israel, the United States, the United Kingdom and Colombia have confronted terrorism with sustained investments in intelligence, technology and overwhelming security responses. They hardly, if ever, contemplate pardoning terrorists.While Nigeria compromises the future of its own children by failing to educate and protect them, insurgent groups are exploiting government indecision to build their own successor generation. Across parts of the North, terrorists continue to recruit and indoctrinate teenagers in alarming numbers.This is reckless. It is unacceptable. The Executive should heed the Senate’s resolution, suspend the pardon of insurgents and prosecute the war against terrorism with clarity, consistency and resolve. The only appropriate response to such crimes is the permanent removal of dangerous terrorists from society.Instead of rehabilitating terrorists, the government should channel its resources towards rehabilitating the true victims of terrorism, including displaced communities, bereaved families, injured security personnel and the families of those who made the ultimate sacrifice. While Nigeria compromises the future of its own children by failing to educate and protect them, insurgent groups are exploiting government indecision to build their own successor generation. Across parts of the North, terrorists continue to recruit and indoctrinate teenagers in alarming numbers.This is reckless. It is unacceptable. The Executive should heed the Senate’s resolution, suspend the pardon of insurgents and prosecute the war against terrorism with clarity, consistency and resolve. The only appropriate response to such crimes is the permanent removal of dangerous terrorists from society.Instead of rehabilitating terrorists, the government should channel its resources towards rehabilitating the true victims of terrorism, including displaced communities, bereaved families, injured security personnel and the families of those who made the ultimate sacrifice. This is reckless. It is unacceptable. The Executive should heed the Senate’s resolution, suspend the pardon of insurgents and prosecute the war against terrorism with clarity, consistency and resolve. The only appropriate response to such crimes is the permanent removal of dangerous terrorists from society.Instead of rehabilitating terrorists, the government should channel its resources towards rehabilitating the true victims of terrorism, including displaced communities, bereaved families, injured security personnel and the families of those who made the ultimate sacrifice. Instead of rehabilitating terrorists, the government should channel its resources towards rehabilitating the true victims of terrorism, including displaced communities, bereaved families, injured security personnel and the families of those who made the ultimate sacrifice.