Anglican Bishop of Enugu Diocese, Rt Rev Prof Samuel Obiajulu Ike has charged the Federal Government of Nigeria to discontinue its programme of reintegrating repentant terrorists.
Bishop Ike gave the charge in the presidential address he delivered on Friday at the third session of the 19th Synod of the Diocese held at St. Peter’s Anglican Church, Ogbete, Enugu.
He urged President Bola Tinubu to end the reintegration of the so-called ‘repentant terrorists’ into the critical aspects of the society, insisting that those involved in terrorism should be prosecuted rather than rehabilitated.
While expressing worry over the level of insecurity in Nigeria, Bishop Ike said despite allocating N5.41 trillion, about 9.3 per cent of the proposed N58.47 trillion 2026 budget, to security and defence, there has been no significant improvement in security.
The cleric, who spoke on a wide range of issues, condemned the policy of rehabilitating repentant terrorists, arguing that those responsible for killings and other violent crimes must face justice.
“In a society where a man is sentenced to death for defending himself against terrorists and another is prosecuted for stealing a goat, terrorists must also be made to face trial for their heinous crimes,” he said.
He urged the President to sanction cabinet members allegedly sympathetic to terrorists, stop referring to Boko Haram members as “insurgents,” and officially designate them simply as terrorists.
Bishop Ike also called on the Federal Government to act against social media platforms allegedly used by terrorist groups to spread propaganda and fear.
Expressing
