A former Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives, Hon. Ahmed Idris Wase, has made a shocking revelation, disclosing that Boko Haram members and other criminal elements were once discovered on recruitment lists of both the Nigerian Army and the Nigeria Police Force.
Wase, who represents Wase Federal Constituency of Plateau State and leads the North-Central Caucus, issued the disturbing claim on Wednesday during a special plenary session of the House focused on Nigeria’s worsening national security crisis.
According to him, the infiltration was so severe that it can be independently confirmed by former House Committee on Defence Chairman, Hon. Muktar Betara.
“My brother, former chairman of defence, and my very good friend, will bear me witness. There were moments in time when in the process of recruitment, Boko Haram members were found in the list. Other criminals, armed robbers, gangs were found in the lists of Nigerian Army and Police,” Wase said.
He warned that such infiltration reflects the deep structural decay in Nigeria’s recruitment processes, which have allowed dangerous individuals to penetrate sensitive security institutions.
“There has to be a thorough way of ensuring that when we are recruiting, those of us who are politicians should recommend people of good character and integrity. That’s the only way we can solve this problem,” he said.
“You find a criminal in the system, and before you know it, whatever you do, you cannot have the problem resolved. So we must change the system and way of our recruitment.”
Wase also lamented that 52% of insecurity and insurgency in Nigeria occurs in the North-Central, a region he said continues to pay the highest price. He revealed that he personally lost a cousin, a younger brother, and a nephew to terrorist violence.
“Mr. Speaker, respected colleagues, as I am speaking to you, within the armed forces, I once spoke here, I lost one of the most gallant Nigerian soldiers, my cousin, in the course of this.
“I lost my younger brother, same mother, in Borno and today I will say without mincing words that even as we try to solve the issues… I lost my nephew,” he added.
The former Deputy Speaker also urged the Federal Government to review the presidential directive withdrawing police escorts from VIPs, warning that without proper categorisation, the move might worsen abductions and other security risks.
“I want to appeal that there is a need to review that order. It’s a good order, but the categorisation has to be spelt out. Because before you know it, this House will again come back, faced with the same problem of the kidnapping and whatever will happen,” he said.
Speaking for the North-West Caucus, Hon. Sada Soli Jibia (APC, Katsina) described the region’s security challenges as “complex and multidimensional,” rooted not only in criminality but in environmental stress, governance failures, and economic marginalisation.
“Tackling this threat demands a holistic strategy that combines security operations with social, economic and environmental interventions,” he said.
“A purely military or kinetic response won’t be sufficient… Long-term stability will require building trust in state institutions.”
For the North-East Caucus, Hon. Muktar Betara said the region remained the epicentre of terrorism, insurgency, kidnapping and communal violence, citing major attacks in Borno, including the Baga massacre and multiple bombings.
“Nigerian security challenges may be vast, but they cannot be there with strategic planning, coordinated action and political commitment. We can restore public confidence, stop the spread of violence,” Betara said.
South-South Caucus spokesperson, Hon. Solomon Bob, condemned what he called the long-standing “lack of courage” by successive administrations in confronting insecurity.
“What has happened in this country is an abject lack of courage. Every president since 1999 to today has demonstrated an embarrassing lack of courage to deal with an issue that has persisted,” he said.
He warned that Nigeria is “appeasing terrorists,” a practice he described as dangerous and counterproductive.
“You can’t appease your way out of terrorism,” he said.
“Members come here and mischaracterise very serious violent crimes and call them banditry… Terrorism is the most dangerous of the violent crimes we face in this country today.”
Rounding off the debate, Chairperson of the House Committee on Women Affairs, Hon. Kafilat Ogbara, said the insecurity epidemic had become a “deep and bleeding wound” on Nigerian families, especially women and children.
“It is a deep and bleeding wound in the lives of our children, our families and our communities,” she said.
“I termed the Papiri and Kamba abductions as a national tragedy. We are facing severe insecurity crises with widespread kidnapping and banditry.”
She stressed that attacks on communities amount to “nothing but terror.”
“These are not mere security failures. They are breaches of the most fundamental duties of the state, which is the security of lives and properties,” Ogbara added.
