By BONIFACE AKARAH

The Human Rights Writers Association of Nigeria (HURIWA) has condemned the Federal Government’s decision to reintegrate 744 “repentant terrorists” into society, describing the move as reckless, dangerous, and a betrayal of victims of insurgency.

HURIWA National Coordinator, Comrade Emmanuel Onwubiko, in a statement on Sunday, warned that the policy under the Operation Safe Corridor programme “is not only reckless—it is dangerously subversive of justice, offensive to the sensibilities of millions of victims, and a grave threat to national security.”

The Federal Government had recently announced that no fewer than 744 individuals, described as former terrorists and victims of violent extremism, had completed a deradicalisation programme and would be reintegrated into communities across the country.

The disclosure was made during a graduation ceremony in Gombe, where military authorities presented the initiative as part of efforts to combat insurgency through non-kinetic measures, including psychosocial support, vocational training, religious reorientation, and civic education.

But HURIWA rejected the justification, insisting that “no amount of administrative processing, sugar-coating, deception, rebranding, or semantic justification can disguise the fundamental danger embedded in this policy.”

“What the Federal Government has effectively done is to normalise the reinsertion of individuals linked to mass violence into fragile communities without transparent judicial accountability, without public consent, and without justice for victims,” Onwubiko said.

He added, “This is not peacebuilding. This is a dangerous experiment with human lives.”

The group further argued that the policy undermines justice for victims, many of whom continue to live with trauma from years of insurgency.

“At a time when widows, orphans, displaced families, and survivors of terrorism continue to live with irreversible trauma, the government has chosen to prioritise the rehabilitation of those accused of inflicting that pain—without first ensuring justice is served,” he stated.

HURIWA maintained that the government’s insistence that the programme is not an amnesty is immaterial, stressing that “in practical terms, individuals associated with acts of terror are being released back into society through administrative channels rather than through transparent, public, and judicially supervised processes.”

“This amounts to institutionalised impunity,” Onwubiko declared.

The group warned that the reintegration exercise could worsen insecurity, noting that “it risks recycling radicalised individuals into already vulnerable communities, creates fear and distrust, undermines the sacrifices of security personnel, and weakens deterrence against violent extremism.”

HURIWA also raised concerns over the scale of the programme, stating that “the reintegration of 744 individuals, without independently verifiable safeguards, raises urgent national security red flags that cannot be ignored.”

“Peace cannot be built on secrecy, selective accountability, and the quiet reintegration of individuals linked to atrocities,” the group said.

The association called for the immediate suspension of the programme, full public disclosure of beneficiaries, evidence of judicial accountability, and the establishment of a national framework for victim compensation and rehabilitation.

“Nigeria must not sacrifice justice on the altar of expediency, nor trade long-term security for short-term political optics,” Onwubiko added.

“The rights, dignity, and safety of victims must come first—not as an afterthought, but as the foundation of any credible counter-terrorism strategy. Anything less is unacceptable.”

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