House of Reps Committee Chair Advocates Execution, Wants End to Terrorist Rehabilitation

During a plenary session on July 8, Hon. Yusuf Gagdi, who chairs the House of Representatives Committee on Navy, strongly advocated for the elimination of apprehended bandits and terrorists. His call came as the lower chamber considered a motion urging the Federal Government to discontinue its rehabilitation and reintegration initiative for captured insurgents and other criminals.

Speaking passionately during the debate, Gagdi asserted that paying ransoms only emboldens criminals to continue their brutal acts against Nigerians. He stated, “Payment of ransom is an encouragement for bandits to continue to brutalize Nigerians the way they want. When you don't pay ransom and tomorrow you don't pay ransom, believe me, it will demoralize the bandits from doing what they are doing.”

Furthermore, Gagdi questioned the logic behind rehabilitating individuals responsible for taking lives. “In addition to not paying ransom, I don't see any rationale behind rehabilitating a criminal that is k!lling people. When arrested, you rehabilitate him, and then he becomes an informant in the midst of our own security,” he argued. He maintained that the government should cease rehabilitating such perpetrators. “Government should not rehabilitate k!llers. There is no reason whatsoever for k!dnappers, band!ts, boko haram to be rewarded by being trained and reintegrated into our own security system. The government should stop the rehabilitation of arrested criminals,” he reiterated.

When pressed on his preferred form of punishment for insurgents, Gagdi was unequivocal. He responded, “To k!ll them. Anybody that k!lls deserves to be k!lled except if it is a motor accident, our law is explicit but if you k!ll by coming to a citizen's house, kidnapping them, taking them to the bush, subjecting them to terrible torture before taking their lives, they do not deserve one second of survival.”