Leading pro-democracy and civil rights advocacy group, the Human Rights Writers Association of Nigeria (HURIWA), has told President Bola Ahmed Tinubu that his most recent matching order to military/security heads to crush terrorists will remain an utopia and a political joke taken too far unless and until this current government stopped freeing terrorists under the dubious guise of repentant terrorists.

Besides, HURIWA said the Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of Nigeria must give specific and direct implementable timeline/deadline to the security heads on when to end the war on terrorists decisively. HURIWA said there should be administrative sanctions imposed against military or police chiefs who did not meet the deadline. HURIWA also challenged the central government to ensure that the Intelligence community within the police, DSS and the military, are alive to their responsibilities. The Rights group attributed the succ?sses recorded by terrorists to crass failures of intelligence. The Rights group said it is a crime against humanity for Government to continue to tolerate the widespread murders of citizens by terrorists.

HURIWA recalled that the media just reported that President Bola Tinubu had ordered the military to confront Boko Haram terrorists, bandits, separatists, and other criminal gangs threatening the peace and sovereignty of the nation, stating that the time to crush the criminals is now.

The president gave this marching order at the grand finale of the 2025 Nigerian Army Day celebration held in Kaduna State.

Tinubu reaffirmed his administration?s unwavering commitment to the welfare of officers and soldiers of the armed forces.

He also pledged to continue to invest in modern equipment, intelligence, and human capital that would improve the effectiveness of the military.

The president, who was represented by Vice, Kashim Shettima, reminded the officers and men to discharge their duties with a high sense of professionalism, courage, discipline, and honour, guided by the nation?s constitution and international best practices.

HURIWA however restated her consistent advocacy calls on President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to stop releasing and reintegration of terrorists into the same communities whereby they killed thousands of citizens of Nigeria and made millions of citizens especially from the North East of Nigeria to become internally displaced even as the toddlers and newborns are malnourished and suffering from poor health due to persistent terrorism in their communities.

HURIWA in a media statement endorsed by the National Coordinator Comrade Emmanuel Onwubiko quoted the Chief of Defence Staff, Gen. Christopher Musa, as disclosing in January that 1,935 Boko Haram terrorists were released from the Bulumkutu camp in Borno State between 2016 and 2022.

The CDS, while advocating the use of the non-kinetic approach in tackling the ongoing fight against terrorism in the country, added that no fewer than 2,000 of the terrorists surrendered to the troops through a non-kinetic approach.

Musa, who was represented by the Director of Training, Defence Headquarters, Rear Adm. Daupreye Matthew, said these while delivering a lecture at the opening of the National Security Course on `Psychological Operations and Strategic Communication? in Abuja on Monday.

The CDS said, ?Also, 1,543 repentant terrorists graduated from Mallam Sidi Camp in Gombe State and 1,935 were released from Bulumkutu camp in Borno between 2016 and 2022.

?From July 2021 to May 4, 2022, alone, no fewer than 51,828 terrorists and their family members surrendered, out of which 13,360 were fighters.?

HURIWA lamented that even some states such as Katsina, Borno and Zamfara states have reportedly released the so-called repentant terrorists and reintegrate them back to the communities from which they were arrested for mass killings even when according the extant laws on terrorism makes terrorism a federal crime and section 6 of the Constitution empowers only thr cours of law to determine the guilt or innocence of accused person?s.

The rights group noted that President Tinubu can only demonstrate a legitimate and believable resolve to defeat terrorists by ending the illegal releases and reintegration of terrorists and also give a definitive deadline to military and police chiefs on the timeframe for ending the counter-terrorism operations. HURIWA stated that nations that have defeated terrorism from within such as USA and UK, worked on deadlines before achieving holistic defeat of terrorists in their jurisdictions. HURIWA further asked government to deliver care and succour to victims of terrorism in Nigeria.

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