Insecurity can never end in Nigeria with government forgiving terrorists – Lawyer, Deji Adeyanju, reacts to video of repentant Boko Haram members swearing with Quaran

A video of repentant Boko Haram members swearing by the Quran, never to go back to indulging in acts of terrorism, has made the rounds on social media.

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A video showing over 3,000 repentant Boko Haram insurgents swearing an oath on the Holy Quran to renounce terrorism has sparked intense public debate over Nigeria’s amnesty and reintegration program. 

The mass graduation ceremony, which took place in Borno State last week, marked the formal reintegration of the former fighters into society following weeks of intensive deradicalisation and rehabilitation.

In the widely circulated footage, the former insurgents—dressed uniformly in white T-shirts and black trousers—are seen holding copies of the Quran. Individually and collectively, they pledged to permanently sever ties with the terrorist group and reject violent religious extremism.

Speaking at the event, the Borno State Commissioner for Information and Internal Security, Professor Usman Tar, emphasized the binding nature of the oath. He stated that the state government expects the repentant individuals to strictly abide by the Quranic principles of peace, desist from any form of violence, and actively assist security agencies in countering terrorism.

Brigadier General Abdullahi Ishaq (Rtd), the Special Adviser on Security to the Borno State Governor, also urged the graduates to return to their ancestral communities as peaceful citizens. Concurrently, representatives from the security agencies made a direct appeal to local communities, urging the public to show compassion and accept the former fighters to ensure successful reintegration. 

However, the administration’s approach has met with sharp criticism online. Human rights activist Deji Adeyanju took to X  to voice strong skepticism about the strategy, arguing that Nigeria’s war against insecurity will remain unwinnable as long as authorities continue to grant state pardons and forgiveness to terrorists.

‘’Mad country! The only repentant terrorist is a dead one. Insecurity can never end in Nigeria with the government forgiving terrorists.” he wrote 

Watch the viral video below