The policy of rehabilitating and reintegrating former terrorists, bandits, insurgents, and violent extremists into society remains one of the most controversial security issues in Nigeria.
Many Nigerians are asking a simple question:
Why are individuals accused of killings, kidnappings, rape, destruction of communities, and acts of terrorism being given opportunities to return to society while countless victims continue to live with trauma, displacement, poverty, and fear?
This is not simply about forgiveness.
It is about public safety, justice, accountability, and trust.
Across Nigeria, widows mourn their husbands, children grow up without parents, farmers have lost their lands, and entire communities still struggle to recover from years of violence.
Yet many of these same communities are expected to accept former members of violent groups back into their midst.
Without transparency, consultation, and strong safeguards, such policies risk deepening fear, resentment, and distrust.
European interest in the region increased during the nineteenth century. The British Niger Expedition of 1841 brought renewed attention to the confluence area, and in 1857 Dr. William Balfour Baikie established a settlement at Lokoja. The town subsequently developed into an important centre of British commercial activity.
In 1886, the Royal Niger Company received its charter and extended British influence across much of the Niger basin. When the territories administered by the company were transferred to the British Crown on 1 January 1900, Lokoja became the first headquarters of the Protectorate of Northern Nigeria under Sir Frederick Lugard. Although the capital was moved to Zungeru in 1902, Lokoja retained its importance as a centre of administration and commerce.
By the time Lord Lugard amalgamated the Northern and Southern Protectorates on 1 January 1914, the confluence region had already established itself as an important link between different parts of the country.
During the colonial period, much of the territory that now constitutes Kogi State formed part of Kabba Province. Following state creation exercises in 1967 and 1976, communities that had previously shared administrative ties became part of Kwara State and Benue State.
On 27 August 1991, the military administration of General Ibrahim Babangida created Kogi State from parts of the former Kwara and Benue States. Lokoja was selected as the state capital because of its historical significance and central location.
Today, Kogi State occupies a unique position within the Nigerian federation. Its geography, mineral resources, agricultural potential and historical legacy give it a significance that extends beyond its boundaries.
In many respects, the history of Kogi State reflects the wider history of Nigeria itselfโa history shaped by centuries of interaction among peoples, kingdoms, commerce and ideas.
To study Kogi State is, in many ways, to study the making of Nigeria itself.
KOGI STATE: A HISTORY OF PEOPLES, KINGDOMS AND THE CONFLUENCE
To understand Kogi State, one must recognize that its history did not begin with its creation on 27 August 1991.
That date, significant as it was, merely gave administrative expression to historical realities that had evolved over centuries. Long before the emergence of modern Nigeria, and indeed before British authority extended into the interior of West Africa, the peoples who inhabit this territory had established kingdoms, settlements and institutions that shaped the political and commercial life of the region.
Few places in Nigeria have been influenced by geography as profoundly as the territory now known as Kogi State. Situated at the confluence of the Rivers Niger and Benue, the region occupied a strategic position that facilitated commerce, migration and cultural exchange. Over time, this location made the area a meeting point of peoples and ideas.
By the fifteenth and sixteenth centuries, the Igala Kingdom had emerged as one of the principal political powers in the Middle Belt and Lower Niger regions. Under Attah Ayegba Oma Idoko, whose reign is generally placed in the late sixteenth and early seventeenth centuries, the kingdom consolidated its authority through diplomacy, warfare and trade. Idah developed into a major political and commercial centre whose influence extended beyond present-day Kogi East.
To the west, the Okun-Yoruba communities maintained cultural and linguistic ties with the Yoruba kingdoms of Oyo, Ekiti and Ijebu. In the central region, the Ebira people developed thriving settlements whose interactions with Nupe and Hausa traders enriched the economic life of the area. Along the Niger and Benue valleys, the Bassa, Kakanda, Oworo, Ogori, Gwari, Kupa and several other communities contributed to the diversity that characterizes the state today.
Long before European intervention, the River Niger served as an important commercial route linking the savannah regions of the north with the forest zones of the south. Through these routes, goods, ideas and cultures moved across vast distances.
@joinkuda Hello kuda I have an account with you which I normally use for transportation, I haven't been active for some time now, I try login today and it's not working, same thing happened previous before now that I had to try open another new account now the problem is that if I tried to update the new account with my NIN and BVN it says that I had an account already and the old account is no longer visible because it's saying customer KYC isn't visible
This is the account
2710612024
@joinkuda Hello kuda I have an account with you which I normally use for transportation, I haven't been active for some time now, I try login today and it's not working, same thing happened previous before now that I had to try open another new account now the problem is that if I tried to update the new account with my NIN and BVN it says that I had an account already and the old account is no longer visible because it's saying customer KYC isn't visible
This is the account
2710612024
@GratefulSoul245@instablog9ja Thanks, let's be logical, why not let allow and ensure our politician tell us what exactly they want to do for us and how they also want to achieve that so that if they do otherwise tomorrow we could hold them responsible.
I hope you understood what I did here I neither support religious descrimination nor blackmail, in some Christian majority country Muslim also face persecution for doing same or just to practice their religion
Here are list of some of those countries
Countries where Muslims currently face the most severe persecution or religious repression, arranged roughly by severity:
๐จ๐ณ China โ Uyghur Muslims: mass detention, surveillance, forced labor, restrictions on Islamic practices.
๐ฒ๐ฒ Myanmar โ Rohingya Muslims: ethnic cleansing, massacres, mass displacement.
๐ฎ๐ณ India โ increasing communal violence, discrimination, and concerns over religious freedoms.
๐ฎ๐ฑ Israel / Palestinian Territories โ war, occupation, restrictions, and humanitarian crises affecting Palestinian Muslims.
๐ท๐บ Russia โ repression of some Muslim communities, especially in Crimea and the North Caucasus.
๐ฑ๐ฐ Sri Lanka โ anti-Muslim riots and discrimination.
๐จ๐ซ Central African Republic โ sectarian violence targeting Muslims.
๐น๐ญ Thailand (South) โ long-running insurgency and tensions affecting Malay Muslims.
๐ต๐ญ Philippines (Mindanao) โ historical conflict involving Muslim communities.
๐ช๐น Ethiopia โ localized sectarian violence.
๐ซ๐ท France and some European countries โ restrictions on certain religious symbols and debates over Islamic practices.
Severity varies, and not all cases involve state-sponsored persecution. Some involve communal violence, discrimination, or restrictions rather than systematic oppression.
If your argument relies on Grok, please provide the original sources and evidence rather than the AI's conclusions. Grok is owned by xAI, a company founded by Elon Musk, and like all AI systems it can make mistakes or reflect biases in its training data. Let's focus on verifiable facts, historical records, academic research, official documents, and credible sources instead of simply appealing to an AI-generated answer.
Incase you miss the main point, prior to this rules, Muslim majority country though not all welcome diversity in religious belief not up until America and European county started invading them all in the name of democracy
Iran is a good example it used to be a democratic society until US and other Westen countries inveded them because of oil and that now bring the reign of Islamic regime.
Iran is one of the few countries that the state protect non Muslim interest and also gave freedom to non Muslim to practice their faith in their million e.g Iran has millions of jewish population and same time millions of Christian population with the state accepting them in their Congress and ruling class.
I saw a video of soldiers exchanging fire with terrorists, and one of the soldiers shouted:
ุญูุณูุจูููุง ุงูููููู ููููุนูู ู ุงููููููููู
"Allah is sufficient for us, and He is the best Disposer of affairs."
It looked like a scene from a video game, but it was real life.
In moments where most people would be overwhelmed by fear, hearing those words being recited was powerful.
These are not just soldiers. They are someone's husband, father, brother, or child. Let's always remember them in our prayers and ask Allah to protect them wherever they are.
Perhaps my mind is drawn to the military because it was once a path I wanted to pursue.
May Allah keep them safe and return them to their families in goodness.