The Chief of Defence Staff (CDS), General Olufemi Oluyede, has said terrorists operating in Nigeria’s North-East should not be summarily executed but given an opportunity to repent and reintegrate into society.

Oluyede made the remarks while speaking at the Armed Forces inaugural lecture of the newly established Joint Doctrine and Warfare Centre (JDWC) held at the Nigerian Army Conference Centre in Abuja.

Addressing concerns over the military’s deradicalisation programme, Operation Safe Corridor, the CDS acknowledged public calls for harsher measures against insurgents but stressed the need for a more strategic approach.

“Talking about Operation Safe Corridor, so many people have asked that question: why do we need to rehabilitate criminals? They all should be killed because they have killed people. Well, that may make sense,” he said.

Drawing a biblical analogy, Oluyede likened the initiative to the story of the prodigal son, noting that providing a path for repentance could encourage insurgents to surrender.

“If there was not that window for the man to come back, would they have come back?” he asked.

He emphasised that many of the insurgents are Nigerians who should be given a chance to abandon violence rather than being pushed further into extremism.

“So the point is that these are Nigerians, mostly. And it’s important for us to give them that window to repent, if they want, rather than pushing them to the extreme,” he added.

The CDS also called on lawmakers, particularly the National Assembly, to better understand the importance of rehabilitation in modern counter-insurgency efforts.

According to him, Operation Safe Corridor remains under the management of the Defence Headquarters as part of a broader strategy to address insecurity.

His comments come amid ongoing debate over the balance between justice for victims and the rehabilitation of former insurgents in Nigeria’s fight against terrorism.