Some days ago, Nigerians were bombarded by incredibly upsetting images and accompanying news, about terrorists. It wasn’t the usual blood-and-gore accounts of the latest heinous attack, thank goodness. It was something more revolting than shocking or tragic. The terrorists, said to have surrendered and repented, were received by the authorities and ‘paraded’. They held up placards which were a little too well-worded, saying things like ‘Nigerians, please forgive us’, et cetera. Frankly, it smacked of an over-seasoned PR campaign loaded with Maggi. For how else would any rational personal even entertain the thought of ‘forgiving’ Boko Haram terrorists, repentant or otherwise?
‘Repentant’ terrorists have been entertained in the past, mind you. Lovely receptions and sumptuous catering all deployed for maximum optics and photo ops strewn all over the media to say these former killers or collaborators of killers, have repented. You know, slap on the wrist, go forth and sin no more, and all that. At least that’s what it looked like to the ordinary Nigerian, which I am. Online furore raged, then died, and that was all. Little or nothing is heard about the repentant terrorists, save the odd update when one wails about being rejected by family and friends. You see, it’s a little difficult to forgive cold-blooded murder. But let me not digress.
Senator Ali Ndume himself has repeatedly and with great detail stressed on the dangers of reintegrating the ‘repentant’ terrorists. Apparently, reason is unreasonable to those who decide these things. Now, pardons for murderous individuals are nothing new in the world. Sri Lanka has done it before. Even the United States of America, that bastion of social justice, has pardoned terrorists as far back as the 90s, when the Puerto Rican nationals who were said to have carried out the then-worst wave of terrorist violence in the U.S bagged up to 90 years in response to the convictions brought upon by over a hundred bombings in that country. It shocked many Americans when then-president Bill Clinton, who revealed prompting by ex-president Jimmy Carter, announced the pardon.
Back to Nigeria, specifically today, this apparent angling for forgiveness for terrorists – for whatever reason – would portend a dangerous and counterproductive trend. Then there is the far more obvious reason, which in my attempt to highlight, I’ll play dumb and ask a stupid question: Why do they return to their old, murderous ways? It’s simple: No consequences. And that rehabilitation process is far too simplistic and casual for individuals who have confessed to being part of a terrorist group. Even one of our new-ish scourges, the ridiculously-named ‘banditry’, has been proven to have direct links to Boko Haram, for God’s sake!
Sure, their surrender is good. The intel that could be gleaned from them could prove invaluable in the on-going fight against insurgency, especially in the North-East where most of it is right now. But other points to ponder include the possibility that they are simply posing as repentant simply to gain entry back into sane society in order to strike when the time is ripe. While you ponder that, also ask the families of military personnel lost to Boko Haram attacks what they think about the ‘repentant’ terrorists begging for forgiveness. Also, don’t forget the gory videos in which soldiers or civilians are slaughtered with perverse relish, followed by devious gloating by the terrorist.
Maybe it’s asking too much of Nigerians, who have been subjected to unimaginably evil acts of terror. Personally, I have lost far too many friends to Boko Haram attacks. My memory is still fresh of my friend and colleague Suleman Bisalla, who was killed in the infamous Emab Plaza bombing, since claimed by Boko Haram. That’s me, even. What about his wife, children, parents and siblings? Has anyone ever thought how ridiculous this current putsch for ‘forgiveness’ would sound like, and how triggering it could be? It may seem like this whole forgive-or-not-forgive conundrum is a personal one to me. I will be the first to admit that. After all, isn’t life itself the most personal thing in all of existence?
Don’t get me wrong. I want this whole thing handled well, via laws which these things should be subjected to, and penalties that should be applied. Yes, forgiveness as a concept can be cathartic and good for healing, and after all, it is said to be divine. But I’m human, and even a casual observer would notice that this newest push for ‘forgiveness’ is more political and meant for optics, than being driven by much-needed justice. Also, no amount of ‘de-radicalisation’ can wash off the blood of innocents. Therefore, I’ll wrap this up nice and easy. As an NIN card-carrying Nigerian, here’s my simple, honest, heartfelt, rational response to the terrorists seeking forgiveness: No.
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