“Peace is not absence of conflict, but the presence of justice.” – Martin Luther King Jr.
1. The Crisis in Benue
On June 14, 2025, gunmen attacked Yelewata, Guma LGA, Benue State, killing at least 100 people, burning homes, and leaving hundreds injured or missing . This atrocity, and earlier similar incidents, have prompted condemnation, including from Pope Leo, who urged urgent action to halt extrajudicial slaughter in Nigeria. Despite the army chief’s relocation to Benue, insecurity has worsened—suggesting either a flawed strategy or deeper internal compromise.
2. Root Causes and Institutional Weaknesses
Compromised Structure: The 2021 policy directive permitting “repentant terrorists” into Nigeria’s armed forces raises serious questions about vetting, loyalty, and discipline. No transparent medical-psychological certification processes have been made public.
Extrajudicial Patterns: Benue’s history of unresolved killings—such as the Guma killings in April 2022, where Fulani herdsmen killed over 25 villagers —echoes current crisis, highlighting systemic failures.
Military Distress: According to a 2016 Crisis Group report, Nigeria’s military has deep structural issues—poor funding, understaffing, corruption, weak oversight—and has long shelved meaningful reforms .
3. Risky Rehabilitation Strategy
Since 2015, the government operationalized Operation Safe Corridor, targeting ex‑Boko Haram bandits with disarmament, deradicalization, rehabilitation, and reintegration . While some former insurgents have provided intelligence , critics argue rehabilitation lacks public vetting, standards, and mechanisms to prevent recidivism.
4. Comparative Global Responses
Country Strategy Approach Results
Saudi Arabia Rehab center with 85% success rate in de‑radicalization Recidivism reduced, many became informants
Colombia DDR (Disarmament, Demobilization, Reintegration) from FARC Former combatants integrated into politics, economy
Rwanda Community justice (Gacaca) + strong military reform Post‑genocide security restored
Common elements: transparent vetting, community reintegration, accountability, and strategic deterrence.
5. The Nigerian Imperative: A Four‑Pronged Strategy
a. Indepth Army Audit
Conduct forensic audit of personnel, vetting all “rehabilitated” recruits.
Publish vetting criteria: medical-psychological certification, loyalty assessment, and service track records.
b. Re‑Engineer Military Culture
Reinvigorate meritocracy, discipline, and internal oversight.
Regularize training, intelligence sharing, and invest in modern command structures.
c. Reinvigorate DDR with Oversight
Operate Safe Corridor with international standards: ID cards, public town hall hearings, community monitoring.
Empower Civilian Joint Task Force (CJTF) under legal structures .
d. Root-Cause Interventions
Address farmer-herder conflict in Benue: land tenure reform, pastoral corridors, water-sharing pacts.
Invest in Benue’s youth: vocational training, employment programs, education.
6. Why Standard Militarization Has Failed
Despite increased security budgets—from ₦2.98 trillion in 2023 to ₦6.11 trillion in 2025 —the military remains under-equipped, under-intelligent, and undermined by internal betrayal. Experts argue real security is community-based, technologically enabled, and accountable.
7. A Call to National Leaders and Citizens
President: Commission an independent military credential audit.
Parliament & NGOs: Enact legal frameworks for ex-combatant vetting, codifying standards and requiring quarterly progress reports.
Citizens: Advocate for transparent hearings, prosecuting any state actors complicit in security breaches.
8. Conclusion
The Benue bloodbath reveals a more profound crisis: military integrity is fractured. The misplaced assumption that “repented insurgents” can seamlessly serve in the Army is misguided. What is required is an honest, transparent reckoning—not just with insurgency, but with every compromised layer within our security architecture.
Nigeria must break from reactive militarism and build forward: a military trusted by communities, structured with integrity, and driven by justice.
Headlinenews.news Special Investigative Report
