Over 6,000 Terrorists Released: APC’s Rewards for Killers Destroyed Nigeria Security

For over a decade, Nigeria has been locked in a death grip with terrorism. We are told by successive APC administrations that the brave men and women of the Nigerian Armed Forces are “winning the war”. But close investigations into the APC government’s own actions reveals a terrifying, hidden reality. The very administration that swore to protect its citizens is simultaneously operating a revolving door that released thousands of suspected terrorists back into society, often gifting them with benefits that many law-abiding, struggling Nigerians can only dream of.

The numbers are not just a static statistic, they represent a fundamental betrayal. This investigation proves that the APC government was never willing to end terrorism, choosing instead to nurture a “lucrative narrative” where terror perpetrators and financiers thrive while soldiers and victims suffer and die.

The Numbers That Expose the Lie: Over 6,000 Released

To understand the depth of this betrayal, we must first look at the shocking figures. The government’s preferred narratives are “repentant”, “bandits” and “rehabilitation”. They claim they are processing “low-risk” individuals. But independent investigations and verified reports paint a far more sinister picture of mass releases without justice.

A breakdown of this unprecedented release campaign by timeline shows a systematic dismantling of the justice and security system:

1. 2016-2021: The Launch of the Revolving Door: The largest single group release came through Operation Safe Corridor (OSC), a de-radicalization program aimed at “repentant” Boko Haram fighters. Between 2019 and 2021, at least over 1,000 former combatants were “graduated” and reintegrated into the Nigerian society. By January 2025, that number had exploded to over 5,000+ “graduates”, despite mounting evidence of recidivism and the programme’s fundamental lack of transparency.
2. 2017-2018: The Kainji Mass Court Disaster: A separate, equally disturbing avenue for release occurred during mass trials held at the Kainji military base. In October 2017, a court discharged 468 suspects due to a “lack of evidence”. A few months later, in February 2018, another 475 suspects were set free. By the end of 2018, over 1,000+ terrorist jihadists, initially apprehended had been released by a justice system that failed to hold them.

These figures do not include the secretive, high-profile prisoner swaps, such as the May 2017 exchange of 82 Chibok girls for 5 high-ranking Boko Haram commanders.

A careful analysis shows that over 6,000 suspected terrorists have been systematically released into the Nigerian population.

Gifting the Terrorists a Golden Escape: When Murder Pays

The releases are bad enough, but it is the accompanying “benefits” package that truly exposes the APC government’s real agenda. The “reintegration” of these 6,000+ individuals is not just about a second chance; it is a full, state-funded investment in their “new life,” one that comes at the direct expense of their victims.

Consider the contents of this “gift” to former killers, as documented by multiple agencies and verified reports:

• Safe House and Stipends: When a commander “repents” through secretive programs like Operation Sulhu, they are not sent to prison. Instead, they are often housed in secure government apartments, given a comfortable monthly stipend, and protected by state security. This stipend is often higher than the salary of a junior soldier (Private) in the Nigerian Army, who risks his life daily for roughly ₦60,000.
• Business Tools: Rank-and-file graduates of OSC are not left empty-handed. They receive “empowerment kits” to start businesses (unlike their victims), which commonly include sewing machines, welding equipment, farming tools, and cash grants. In Borno State’s 2025 budget alone, over ₦7.4 billion was explicitly allocated to maintain these programs, supporting the housing, feeding, and resettlement of former terrorists.
• A “Loop” of Insanity: While the government spends billions feeding and housing thousands of “repentant” fighters, millions of their victims languish in Internal Displaced Person (IDP) camps, living on less than ₦300 a day, with their homes and livelihoods gone forever.

Turning a Blind Eye to Terror Exploits: A Govt. on Bended Knee

The government’s willingness to release thousands is even more obnoxious when you consider the terrifying exploits of active terrorists that have been outrightly ignored. The “lucrative narrative” Dr. Mohammed warned about in 2019, where a terrorist could earn $3,000 per day is now the standard business model for groups like ISWAP and bandit gangs, who have turned Kidnapping for Ransom into a multi-billion Naira industry.

Yet, the APC government has consistently shown a preference for ignoring these “exploits” in favor of releasing their perpetrators. our investigative reports verify:

1. Ignored Ransoms: As of 2026, investigations by the NFIU and international partners show that terror groups move vast sums of money using cryptocurrency and local Point of Sale (POS) agents. Yet, there have been no arrests or prosecutions of the sponsors who facilitate this.
2. A Confident Declaration of Cowardice: This blatant blind-eye was never clearer than when the Buhari administration unanimously buried the verified list of terror sponsors provided by the US and UAE. In February 2022, Information Minister Lai Mohammed gave the single most ridiculous declaration of the entire conflict, stating the government would “not name and shame” the 96 sponsors they had supposedly uncovered, claiming it would “jeopardize investigations”. To this day, those sponsors have not faced justice, instead being shielded from accountability, so to what end were the acclaimed “investigations”.

This one moment proved everything: the APC government was not interested in destroying the head of the snake (the sponsors), but only in managing its body (the foot soldiers) by feeding and releasing them in their thousands with hard earned Tax Payer Money.

The Obnoxious Benefit: Soldiers Forced to Fight Beside Terrorists

The true cost of this policy is paid by the Nigerian soldier. The ultimate paradox is that a loyal, struggling soldier can find himself fighting on the front line alongside a “repentant” former enemy. Intelligence from frontline soldiers in early 2026 confirms verified reports of a morale collapse. Regrettably, most of these soldiers are from villages where the Terrorist had previously attacked and laid waste to lives and properties.

Soldiers have noted with bitterness that “rehabilitated” fighters in state camps often eat better, more consistent meals than the troops in the trenches, who just recently had their daily feeding allowance increased to a measly ₦3,000 in 2025 despite the biting inflation, after years of it being ₦1,500. This obnoxious “benefit” has led to tactical sabotage: several military operations in 2025/2026 were compromised after “reintegrated” fighters leaked troop movements to their former comrades in the bush in exchange for those “lucrative” bonuses.

A Clear Unwillingness to End terrorism

If the APC government was genuinely trying to end terrorism, it would have used its power to kill or permanently remove those 6,000+ suspected terrorists from the battlefield, rather than spending billions to “rehabilitate” them. The fact that they chose to release them, to pay them, to house them, and to protect their sponsors, leads to only one inescapable conclusion.

The APC’s Buhari and Tinubu’s government was never willing to end terrorism. They preferred a manageable state of conflict, where they could pretend to “win” on paper, while maintaining the structures that allow a lucrative business to thrive, at the cost of Nigerian lives.

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