The Senate has called on the Federal Government to suspend the rehabilitation and reintegration programme for former Boko Haram members, while urging security agencies to intensify efforts to arrest and prosecute terrorists and other criminal elements responsible for attacks across the country.
Gatekeepers News reports that the resolution was adopted during Tuesday’s plenary following a motion sponsored by Senator Abdulaziz Yar’Adua on the rising cases of attacks, abductions and killings involving serving and retired military personnel.
Lawmakers described the growing trend as a serious threat to national security and the authority of the Nigerian state.
The Senate also directed its committees overseeing security matters to strengthen their oversight of security agencies and ensure that the nation’s security chiefs remain fully accountable in addressing the country’s security challenges.
As part of its resolutions, the upper chamber agreed that a delegation led by Senate President Godswill Akpabio should meet with President Bola Tinubu to discuss the worsening security situation.
While presenting the motion, Senator Yar’Adua expressed concern over the increasing attacks targeting serving and retired military officers across several states, saying the incidents have resulted in deaths, prolonged captivity, ransom payments, emotional trauma and economic hardship for victims, their families and the nation.
He cited several high-profile cases, including the abduction of retired Colonel Rabiu Garba Yandoto and his two children along the Gusau–Tsafe Road in Zamfara State on January 1, 2023.
The senator also recalled the kidnapping and subsequent killing of retired Major General Richard Chukwudi Duru in Imo State in September 2023 despite the payment of a $50,000 ransom.
Yar’Adua further referenced the killing of retired Brigadier General Uwem Udokwere, who was murdered by intruders at his residence in Lokogoma, Abuja, in June 2024, as well as the abduction of former National Youth Service Corps Director-General, Brigadier General Maharazu Tsiga (retd), who spent 56 days in captivity before regaining his freedom in April 2025.
He also listed the abduction and death of retired Major Joe Ajayi in Kogi State in May 2025, the kidnapping and rescue of retired Colonel Joseph Ajanaku in Plateau State in January 2026, and the abduction and death in captivity of former Director of Defence Information, Major General Rabe Abubakar (retd), who was kidnapped alongside his wife in Katsina State on May 30, 2026.
According to the senator, the killing of Major General Abubakar and other victims while in captivity highlights the persistent insecurity confronting the country.
He warned that the increasing targeting of serving and retired military personnel by terrorists and criminal groups represents a dangerous shift in Nigeria’s security landscape, particularly because many of the victims previously occupied sensitive operational, intelligence and command positions within the country’s security architecture.
Following deliberations, the Senate resolved to urge the Federal Government to halt the rehabilitation and reintegration of terrorists, ensure the arrest and prosecution of perpetrators of violent crimes, and strengthen the nation’s security response through improved oversight and greater engagement with the Presidency.
