Former Ekiti State Governor Segun Oni has warned the Federal Government against rushing the reintegration of ex-insurgents, saying addiction to violence and its economic benefits make relapse likely without strict monitoring.
Speaking Wednesday on _Frontline_ on Eagle 102.5 FM, Oni said deradicalisation under Operation Safe Corridor must not bypass legal and judicial processes.
“The government should not be too much in a hurry to assimilate people who are proven terrorists into the system. Because they are assimilating them into the system is a risk,” he said.
Operation Safe Corridor, launched in 2016, rehabilitates low-risk, “repentant” Boko Haram and ISWAP fighters at the Malam Sidi camp in Gombe for 6 to 12 months before reintegration.
The Federal Government said this month that 744 graduates, nearly 80% from Borno, are set for release, with NIN biometric tracking added to monitor them.
Oni said rehabilitation without close watch could fail. “Many of them are addicted to what they are doing… what they are doing also yields economic benefit, it makes the addiction strong. If you take them to any rehabilitation center and release them again to society, they will go back to crime.”
He called for verification and long-term safeguards, not broad reintegration. “It is not an addiction that is so easy to overcome. So, we must be very, very cautious… they should be where they will be closely watched.”
Oni did not call for suspension of the programme but demanded alignment with the justice system. He said creating parallel channels undermines due process and institutional credibility. “If there is a process before, for prerogative of mercy, we should use the process. We should not just be creating absolute detours all the time.”
He added: “I’m not saying suspended. I’m saying aligned properly… Suspended means do not hear about it for now. But we can still be doing something about it… and create the right atmosphere to get things done.”
The former governor praised the military’s efforts against insecurity and urged citizens to provide credible intelligence. He linked insecurity to weak farm output and inflation, saying poor security in rural areas hits agriculture and the wider economy. “Farmers are not as productive as they should be because the security index is very poor, and this affects everything else in the economy.”
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On the economy, Oni acknowledged exchange rate stability has drawn investor interest but said hardship persists. “The hardship will not go overnight… Government should do more to bring the hardship down.” He backed structured palliatives through schools and faith-based groups, not cash handouts.
On democracy, he repeated his call to cut Nigeria’s 21 political parties, saying the proliferation breeds “opportunism” and weak governance. He proposed yearly reviews and a minimum vote threshold for parties to stay registered.
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