Instead of killing them, we should give terrorists a chance to repent —Chief of Defence Staff General Oluyede

The Chief of Defence Staff, General Christopher Musa Oluyede, has offered Nigerians a theological framework for the country's approach to counterterrorism, and the internet has not taken it well.

Speaking on Tuesday at the Nigerian Armed Forces' inaugural lecture held at the Joint Doctrine Centre in Abuja, Oluyede addressed what has become an increasingly pointed public question, which is, why, after deadly attacks on Nigerian communities, security forces do not simply eliminate the perpetrators.

His answer used scripture for reference.

"People are asking why are we not killing terrorists even if they have killed others. Well, even in the Bible, the prodigal son was given a chance, so we should give terrorists a chance to repent if they want to," he said.

He elaborated further, framing the approach as a practical necessity given the nationality of those involved. "These are Nigerians mostly, so it is important for us to give them that window to repent rather than pushing them to the extreme that it's either we kill you or you continue with your adventure," Oluyede stated.

The General also made a case for the formalisation of a safe corridor programme, a structured pathway for terrorists to surrender and reintegrate, noting that there is currently no budget provision for such an initiative and calling on the National Assembly to support its consideration.

The statement landed along the same timeline that reports of a fresh attack on a Kwara State community were circulating online, a timing that did little to soften the public's reception.

Reactions were fast and quite predictable. Many Nigerians questioned how a military leadership overseeing an active insurgency crisis arrived at biblical parables as a communications strategy. Others resurfaced a statement by Sheikh Ahmad Gumi, who had previously claimed that the Nigerian government knows every terrorist in the country by name and that he negotiates with them alongside military and security agencies, a claim that has never been officially refuted.

The safe corridor concept itself is not new or without merit in global counterterrorism practice. Several countries have successfully used surrender and reintegration programmes to reduce militant numbers. Despite that, whether that argument lands with Nigerians who are burying their dead regularly is a different question entirely.

General Oluyede's lecture was intended to educate on Tuesday. It has mostly shown Nigerians what their military leadership considers an appropriate response to terrorism.

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