FG Spends N1.4bn on Terrorism Rehabilitation

FG Spends N1.4bn on Terrorism Rehabilitation and Trials

• FG has allocated N1.4bn over the last 18 months for rehabilitating repentant terrorists and setting up terrorism trial centres.
• This expenditure is part of efforts under the National Counter-Terrorism Centre (NCTC) to address terrorism through disarmament and reintegration initiatives.
• Funds were also used to renovate facilities for terrorism case trials and provide equipment for prosecution efforts.

The NCTC was established after former President Muhammadu Buhari signed the Terrorism (Prevention and Prohibition) Bill into law on May 12, 2022. By December 2022, the government had announced plans to create two rehabilitation centres for former Boko Haram members and other terrorists.

Between December 2022 and May 2024, records from GovSpend revealed the Ministry of Justice spent N1.4bn on related projects, including:

• March 27, 2023: N612m disbursed for:

Renovation of an abandoned trial building at Giwa Barracks (N286.7m).

Consultancy fees for designing facilities for rehabilitation (N21.5m).

Construction of dormitories for repentant terrorists (N303.7m).

• 2024 Payments:

March 22: N11.5m for computers and accessories.

April 8: N16.4m for additional IT equipment.

May 3: N151.8m for further construction work on a rehabilitation centre.

Terrorism Trials and Convictions

The NCTC reported securing 325 convictions during two phases of terrorism trials at the Kainji Detention Facility:

July 2024 – 143 cases heard, 125 convictions.

Later in 2024 – 237 cases heard, 200 convictions.

Sentences ranged from the death penalty to life imprisonment and 20–70 years for various offences. Despite these efforts, FG has not announced a date for the next trial phase, raising concerns about transparency.

The secretive nature of the trials has drawn mixed reactions. Security experts like Lekan Jackson-Ojo argue that secret trials lack transparency and question why trials for terrorists are treated differently from other criminal cases. Kabir Adamu, another expert, supports secret trials for security reasons but emphasizes the need for adherence to due process.

Moving Forward

The government continues its focus on rehabilitation, trials, and reintegration to combat terrorism while addressing criticisms of secrecy and procedural fairness.

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