Military officers are trained to kill terrorists, and not to pamper them; so, when the Chief of Defence Staff, General Olufemi Oluyede, recommended the treatment of terrorists with kid gloves, it sparked outrage.

Speaking during an Armed Forces lecture in Abuja, Oluyede suggested that "terrorists" should be given a chance to repent rather than being eliminated. He said while many Nigerians believe "terrorists" should be killed for their crimes, the military must still create a path for those willing to surrender.

Comparing terrorists to the prodigal son, who took his portion of inheritance from his father, left home, squandered it, and returned home to his father, Oluyede argued that it is important to allow terrorists to repent of their own volition rather than killing them.

Nigeria has a constitution, if the country uses the Bible to forgive everyone, then what's the need for the army? Let pastors be handling the security of the nation since it's forgiveness that's being used.

Keep up with the latest headlines on WhatsApp | LinkedIn

Framing terrorists as prodigal son by top security officials accommodates and tolerates criminality instead of confronting it. It also blurs the moral and legal boundaries required for an effective security response. The prevailing approach helps explain why efforts to curb killings have struggled to deliver results for years.

When a government begins to frame terrorists in familial terms, it blurs the moral and legal lines that must remain clear in any serious security response. It also shows that the federal government is not ready and unwilling to protect its citizens.

How can someone confirmed to have killed, displaced, and dehumanised citizens be treated with such dignity?

The rhetoric is nothing but an encouragement to the average Nigerian to commit evil, disturb the peace of communities, shed blood, and inflict pain on powerless and unarmed people, knowing fully well they may still be given a second chance to live as if they committed nothing.