By Clement Abayomi
Nigerians have spoken out against the Chief of Defence Staff, General Olufemi Oluyede, following his recent statement that suggested a rehabilitation plan for terrorists.
Oluyede, who defended the policy on 26 March, 2026, during an inaugural lecture, compared repentant criminals to the “prodigal son” in the Bible.
This has prompted disapproval among Nigerians as citizens across social media platforms expressed strong disagreement with his comparison.
On X, Mahdi Shehu described the move as “defeatist” and “not wise”. He argued that granting amnesty to gangs who kill entire families would only embolden them to do more harm.
He asked, “How can you pardon and integrate a criminal who wiped out a whole family in swoop…what will you tell the relations of his victims who will live forever with the pain of crimes committed against them?”
He further stated that while God can forgive, the duty of the government is to protect society.
Another X user, Teju Duru, claimed that such policies make military personnel feel their lives are less valuable than those of the criminals.
Duru suggested that this approach could be the reason why soldiers continue to face deadly ambushes, hinting at possible informants within the high ranks of the military.
Duru wrote, “Be aware that this statement is the reason you keep hearing of military men being ambushed occasionally. There are informants in the military giving their locations away. And apparently they are in the top hierarchy.”
Social media personality Solomon Buchi criticised Oluyede’s logic on Instagram, calling it a “useless equivalence”. He questioned the comparison, asking if the prodigal son was a terrorist.
Buchi argued that the problem is that the authorities could destroy these terrorists but instead choose to see them as “sons” that they must forgive.
He said, “You see what the problem is? The problem clearly is that they can wipe off those terrorists but they see them as ‘sons’. Nigerian politicians and Nigerian army see terrorists as their sons that they must forgive. Such useless equivalence. Was the prodigal son a terrorist?”
He maintained that it is wrong to compare the biblical story to people who are killing thousands across the country.
On Facebook, Kayode Ogunrinola also pointed out a flaw in Oloyede’s biblical reference.
He noted that the prodigal son in the Bible did not kill anyone, warning that pardoning those who voluntarily kill will only encourage others to commit similar crimes.
He said, “If criminals who voluntarily k!lled an innocent people were being pardoned, it might encourage others to do same thing with the belief that they will be pardoned…. Sir, you make reference to the prodigal son, he did not k!ll. You live by sword, you die by sword. My opinion.”
Sharing these fears, Facebook user Lanre Oyeleye questioned if these individuals are even Nigerians.
He asked, “Are the so-called ex-terrorists actually repentant and are they even Nigerians at all?”
He warned that criminals could fake their repentance just to infiltrate the military.
Comments from different sources showed that Nigerians are demanding focus on justice for the victims rather than the rehabilitation of the killers.
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