Amnesty For Repentant Terrorists Worsening Insecurity, Sagay Warns

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…LG Autonomy Will Solve 50% Of Insecurity Challenges – Ubani

A former Chairman of the Pres­idential Advisory Committee Against Corruption (PACAC), Prof. Itse Sagay (SAN), has con­demned the granting of amnes­ty to terrorists and bandits who claim to have repented, warning that the practice is worsening Ni­geria’s security challenges.

Speaking with Daily Inde­pendent, on Wednesday, Sagay argued that individuals involved in terrorism and banditry often return to criminal activities after being granted freedom, thereby posing renewed threats to nation­al security.

According to the senior ad­vocate, amnesty should not be considered for persons who have engaged in activities that under­mine the security and sovereign­ty of the country.

“We are all against granting amnesty to bandits who have killed and caused havoc to the lives of innocent people,” Sagay said.

He maintained that security agencies should ensure that ar­rested terrorists and bandits are held accountable for their actions rather than being released under the guise of rehabilitation and re­integration.

“Once you are caught under­mining the security of the state, the question of amnesty cannot arise. These alleged repentant bandits are going to go back at the first opportunity to join hands with their colleagues to cause hav­oc again,” he stated.

Sagay further expressed doubts about the effectiveness of deradicalisation and rehabilita­tion programmes for terrorists and bandits, insisting that many of those granted amnesty even­tually return to their criminal networks.

“It is not a disease that is cur­able. Once you are a bandit and you are captured by the security agents, the person should be put in detention indefinitely. If they are freed, they are going to revert to their deadly onslaught against the state,” he added.

The legal scholar called for a tougher approach in dealing with terrorism, banditry and other vi­olent crimes, stressing that last­ing peace can only be achieved through strict enforcement of the law and adequate punishment for offenders.

His remarks come amid ongo­ing debates over the effectiveness of amnesty programmes and re­habilitation initiatives as part of efforts to address insecurity in various parts of the country.

Also speaking, another Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN), Mr. Monday Ubani, said that Nige­ria’s growing insecurity challeng­es would be drastically reduced if local governments across the country were granted full finan­cial autonomy and allowed to function effectively.

Ubani, who is a former Second Vice President of the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA), made the assertion while speaking with Daily Independent on Wednesday.

According to him, the current structure of local government ad­ministration has weakened grass­roots governance and contributed significantly to the country’s secu­rity challenges.

“Unless Nigeria returns to lo­cal government autonomy, noth­ing much can be achieved. Let local governments be financially autonomous and then let every chief security officer of the local government be in charge of his territory,” he said.

The senior lawyer argued that functional local governments would enhance intelligence gathering and improve commu­nity-based security management, thereby addressing a substantial portion of the nation’s insecurity concerns.

“If we don’t have a functional local government, we can never solve insecurity challenges. Fifty percent of our insecurity prob­lems will be solved if we agree to restore local government autono­my and allow local governments to function. The non-functionality of local governments is breeding insecurity in Nigeria,” he stated.

Ubani further explained that local government officials are bet­ter positioned to understand the peculiar security dynamics with­in their jurisdictions, including monitoring movements in and out of their communities.

“If I come from a particular local government (area) and I am the chief security officer, I will know all the entry and exit points of my local government (area) as well as all the areas. I will also take account of every­one that comes in and goes out. I must ensure proper security of my local government (area) and its territories,” he said.

He maintained that if chief security officers across Nigeria’s 774 local government areas effec­tively discharge such responsi­bilities, insecurity in the country would be significantly curtailed.

Ubani, therefore, called on the Federal Government and relevant stakeholders to ensure the full implementation of local government autonomy as a crit­ical step towards strengthening grassroots governance and tack­ling insecurity nationwide.