The Boko Haram sect, one of the deadliest terrorist group in the world with its base in Nigeria has remained the worst nightmare Nigeria has had to contend with in its over 100 years of existence. The group which has terrorized the North Eastern part of Nigeria since the year 2009 was temporarily routed 2014 and 2015 by the Goodluck Jonathan administration after pressure from the international community and an impending election cycle. The Jonathan administration ensured elections in North Eastern states of Yobe, Borno and Adamawa held peacefully. However, we have been forced to endure a resurgence of Boko Haram under the Muhammadu Buhari Presidency.

At the earliest stage of this administration, the narrative was that the Boko Haram sect has been “technically defeated” as propounded by the Minister of Information Alhaji Lai Mohammed. However, instead of decimating the group, the Buhari government has inadvertently empowered the sect to become more ruthless and efficient.

According to news reports, the federal government paid millions of dollars to secure the release of the first tranche of the released Chibok girls abducted by the sect. Also, the Federal government was said to have paid huge sums of money running into millions of dollars including the release of captured Boko Haram commanders while negotiating the release of the second tranche of the abducted Chibok girls which means IT literally became a source of revenue to the sect.

As if that was not enough, the cash for freedom was also enacted to secure the release of the abducted University of Maiduguri lecturers and policewomen recently released by the Boko Haram sect. With each release which cost millions of dollars, the sect, in turn, launches daring and disastrous attacks in any of the three northeastern states that have been their operation ground.

In the same vein, the federal government has so far released more than 600 “repentant” terrorists from detention without being tried. According to the government these individuals have repented and they’ve been reformed to fit into the society. How it came to that conclusion is unknown to anyone but that we chose to release “repentant” terrorists from detention at a time when more than 10,000 inmates are awaiting trials for lesser offence including stealing of recharge cards says a lot about us.

Who monitors the over 600 “repentant” terrorists that have been released from returning back to their old ways? The federal government has embarked on a plan that will sooner or later boomerang as it is indirectly swelling the ranks of the terrorists.

tosin adesina