A human rights lawyer, Maxwell Opara, has filed a lawsuit at the Federal High Court in Abuja seeking to halt the federal government’s reintegration programme for former Boko Haram members.
The suit, filed on 23 April, lists the Nigerian Army, the Attorney-General of the Federation, Lateef Fagbemi, and President Bola Tinubu as respondents.
Opara is asking the court for an injunction stopping the Operation Safe Corridor programme, which recently graduated 744 participants described as ex-insurgents and victims of violent extremism in Gombe State. The government says the initiative involves deradicalisation, vocational training, counselling, and preparation for reintegration into civilian life.
In the filing, the lawyer also wants the Attorney-General directed to prosecute more than 700 individuals who have gone through the programme.
He argued that any criminal cases against them should proceed under the Terrorism (Prevention and Prohibition) Act, 2022 and the Administration of Criminal Justice Act, 2015.
A central issue in the case is whether releasing and reintegrating persons alleged to have been involved in terrorism without trial or conviction aligns with constitutional protections and criminal procedure laws.
Opara contends that doing so may conflict with sections of the Constitution covering life, dignity, and liberty, and raises questions about due process.
He further argues that the programme amounts to granting de facto immunity without legal backing and shifts powers that belong to the judiciary. According to him, individuals accused of serious offences such as terrorism, kidnapping, and murder should first face prosecution in court before any form of reintegration.
In his affidavit, Opara states that many of those released are reasonably suspected of involvement in violent crimes and were not subjected to trial before being returned to society.
He describes the situation as one that could affect public confidence in the justice system and raise security concerns.
The federal government and the military maintain that Operation Safe Corridor is part of a non-kinetic approach to counterinsurgency aimed at reducing violence by encouraging surrender and rehabilitation.
The court is yet to set a date for hearing.
