Within the past year and a half, the Nigerian government has invested roughly N1.4 billion in the rehabilitation of remorseful terrorists and the construction of centres for terrorism trials.
After the Terrorism Prevention and Prohibition Bill was approved by former President Muhammadu Buhari on May 12, 2022, the Nigerian government created the National Counter-Terrorism Centre.
In December 2022, the government declared its intention to create two centres for repentant members of Boko Haram and other terrorist organisations in the nation that would focus on disarmament, deradicalisation, rehabilitation, and reintegration.
As part of the National Counter Terrorism Centre’s N3.8 billion capital projects for 2023, the government will invest N2.4 billion in the centres, Rear Admiral Yem Musa (retd.), the centre’s coordinator, told the House of Representatives Committee on National Security and Intelligence.
The Ministry of Justice, however, spent a total of N1.4 billion between December 2022 and May 2024 on building rehabilitation centres for remorseful terrorists and restoring an abandoned building for terrorism case trials, according to checks conducted using GovSpend, a civic tech platform that monitors and analyses the Nigerian government’s spending.
The Federal Ministry of Justice awarded N612 million to three companies on March 27, 2023, for the construction of dormitories for the rehabilitation of remorseful terrorists as part of Operation Safe Corridor and the refurbishment and furnishing of vacant buildings for terrorism case trials.
As authorised by the Secretary to the Government of the Federation on March 21, 2023, the first payment of N286.7 million was made to a company, El-haby Concept Limited, for the refurbishment and furnishing of an abandoned building for the trials of terrorism cases at Giwa Barracks.
Interprise Limited received the second payment of N21.5 million as consulting costs for planning and overseeing the construction of facilities for terrorists who have repented at the OSC.
Fosab Global Energy Service Limited received the remaining N303.7 million as an extra 40% payment for building the rehabilitation facility.
For comparable projects, the government paid three companies a total of N179 million in 2024. As authorised by the SGF on December 1, 2023, the first payment of N11.5 million was sent to Jayjaysen Integrated Links Ltd on March 22, 2024, for the provision of desktop PCs and LaserJet printers/toners to support the prosecution of terrorism cases.
As authorised by the SGF on December 18, 2023, an additional N16.4 million was given to Estergel Ltd. on April 8, 2024, for the purchase of computers and accessories for the same purpose.
Lastly, on May 3, 2024, N151.8 million was given to Fosab Global Energy Service Ltd. to pay for the construction of the rehabilitation facility.
The NCTC revealed in a statement on December 15 that it has successfully convicted at least 325 terrorists in its Phase 5 and Phase 6 trials in the Kainji Detention Facility.
The centre stated that based on the seriousness of the suspects’ crimes, the terrorists were given sentences that ranged from 20 to 70 years in prison and the death penalty to life in prison.
About 143 cases were heard in the Phase 5 trial, which took place in July 2024 and resulted in 125 convictions.
At the same location, 237 cases were heard in Phase 6, and 200 convictions were obtained. Since then, though, the government has not commented on the start date of the Phase 7 trials.
